The grand opening of a state-of-the-art hospital Friday came complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a multidenominational religious celebration and tours of the $567 million facility.
PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, set on 181 acres along the McKenzie River, will begin accepting patients August 10. Between 140 and 200 patients will be transferred to the hospital at 3333 RiverBend Drive in Springfield on that day.
PeaceHealth spokeswoman Roz Ramberg said 1,200 chairs were filled with visitors for the celebration, and several hundred others came later to tour the hospital.
PeaceHealth Oregon CEO Mel Pyne told the celebration audience they were “standing on sacred ground, on a site that reminds us that God has been good to Oregon.”
“Virtually everyone crosses the doors of a hospital at some point in their lives. We hope all will find this to be a special and sacred place that heals our bodies and soothes our souls,” Pyne said.
Later Elder Nick Sixkiller, representing the Native American community in a multi-denominational religious ceremony, said the hospital was on the ancestral land of the Kalapuya tribe. “Generations of people have been healed here,” he said.
Guided tours of the hospital’s cardiovascular surgical suite, general surgery suite and catheterization lab departed from the lobby, which features a two-story atrium, throughout the weekend.
Eight tour guides were working Friday evening, taking groups of 15 along two routes between the three surgery rooms.
“If anybody thinks they’re going to get queasy about (surgical) instruments, please keep that in mind,” volunteer Mike Hood told a group before beginning a tour.
The general surgery room featured a skeleton named Dr. Bones performing open knee surgery. Video cameras send live feeds between surgery rooms.
Visitors were also free to roam three other floors, including the neo-natal intensive care unit, labor and delivery suites, a chapel and a cafeteria.
Each of the 386 private rooms have beds for family members to stay, and most feature views of the river.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Pam Hornecker of Eugene, “a terrific healing spot.”
She said she was impressed by every detail of the facility, “from the art, to the floors to the bathtubs in the baby rooms.”
Candy Smith said she liked the emergency room, which has doors instead of curtains to separate patients.
RiverBend opens as region’s newest hospital
Daily Emerald
July 20, 2008
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