Curry General Hospital

Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach, Oregon, is a general medical and surgical acute care and critical access facility and a teaching hospital. It was founded in 1951, and has been part of the Curry Health Network since 1983.[1] New facilities were opened in April 2017.[2]

Curry General Hospital
Curry Health Network
Geography
Location94220 4th St.
Gold Beach, Oregon 97444, United States
Links
ListsHospitals in the United States

History

Construction on the original hospital building, an unreinforced brick structure, began in 1949, with additional wings constructed in the 1950s and 60s.[3] It began operation in 1951.

By 2013, the facility no longer met building codes or patient needs, and there was widespread community support to build a new hospital. Voters of Cury Health District passed a US$10 million general obligation bond issue in November 2013. Curry Health Network donated an additional US$521,000, and USDA Rural Development provided US$20.96 million in low-interest loans.[4]

New building located in tsunami zone

In 2013, the State of Oregon first published its "Resilience Plan", which stated, "The majority of buildings in Oregon have not been designed to resist the shaking from a magnitude 9.0 Cascadia earthquake."[5] Early in 2014, state officials began asking questions about the proposed site local officials had chosen for the new Curry General Hospital, which was four blocks from the ocean, inside Oregon's proposed tsunami zone.[6]

Hospital and city officials had rejected alternative sites for two basic reasons: prohibitive costs of construction on higher ground, and ease of access for aging residents.[3] They also cited mitigating conditions built into their plan: "New plans for the building also include high seismic standards, like piles being sunk deep under ground for stabilization in the event of a large quake. Important mechanics, like the HVAC system, will also be placed on the roof, to keep them as far away from any water as possible."[6]

According to Kristian Foden-Vencil, of Oregon Public Broadcasting, "The building is about 50 feet above sea level. Scientists estimate that waves from a 9.0 subduction earthquake off the coast of Oregon could reach between 60 and 100 feet above sea level."[6]

Construction completed, 2017

In 2014, the hospital served a population base of about 22,000. In April 2014, Erdman Co. of Wisconsin was selected to design and build a new US$20 million building.[1] Groundbreaking for the new building took place in May 2015,[7] and the community celebrated ribbon cutting for the new state-of-the-art hospital on April 1, 2017. The multi-story critical care hospital and clinic provides 62,000-square-feet of space for medical specialist and modern equipment, including a new CT scanner.[4]

With a total investment in the building and equipment of approximately US$34.8 million, the building has 18 inpatient beds, and an emergency department about ten times larger than the one in the original building.[8]

Covid-19 response

When the State of Oregon halted all elective surgical proceures in March 2019, Curry General Hosiptal experienced an approximate 50% drop in revenue.[9]

On March 15, the hospital announced screening exams and appropriate testing for COVID-19 were available after flu and other causes for respiratory symptoms were eliminated and ruled out.[10]

On April 5, 2020, three Curry County residents tested poitive for COVID-19.[11]

By April 23, 2020, Curry General had access to rapid coronavirus testing, providing positve test results in 5 minutes, and negative results in 13 minutes.[12]

As of May 14, 2020, the hospital had received US$957,499 fedeal payout under the CARES Act.[13]

Finances
"Because of the financial situation that we found ourselves in we have been needing to make very significant and very painful decisions as it would relate to our employees, who we consider family... We have gone into a significant cost-reduction plan and that would include certain positions being eliminated. Other positions we are asking staff to replace them from a full- or part-time position into a per diem status."

Ginny Williams, CEO
Curry Health Network[14]

In 2012, the hospital reported 2,096 inpatient days, 3,466 emergency department visits, and 46,2096 outpatient visits. It had 24 available beds. Reporting a net profit of US$2.33 million, and a profit marginof 8.7 percent, it had net patient revenue of US$ 26.8 million and charity care charges of US$ 549,212.[1]

Declining revenues due to the state's prohibition on elective surgeries led to 192 staff reductions, affecting services across the hospital, from "nursing, to physical therapy, human resources, labs, radiology and more".[15]

As of 2020, Curry General Hospital has 100 employees and a revenue of US$ 34.85 million.[16]

References
  1. Sherwood, Courtney (August 26, 2015). "Hospital Finances Flashback: Oregon's Hospital Districts Face Mounting Pressures | The Lund Report". www.thelundreport.org. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  2. "New Curry General Hospital, Gold Beach, Oregon". Benzinga. March 13, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  3. "Japan Earthquake Holds Lessons For Oregon Coast". opb. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  4. "USDA, Partners Celebrate Ribbon Cutting for Modern New Hospital in Gold Beach | Rural Development". www.rd.usda.gov. April 1, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  5. "Oregon Office of Emergency Management : OEM Home Page : State of Oregon". www.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. Foden-Vencil, Kristian (January 26, 2015). "Why Build A Hospital In A Tsunami Zone?". OPB. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  7. "New Curry General Hospital approved for Gold Beach by USDA". KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2. May 30, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  8. "Media Advisory - the New Curry General Hospital, Gold Beach, Oregon". PR.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  9. Read, Richard (March 25, 2020). "Cash-strapped rural hospitals face 'imminent closure' as coronavirus bears down". Los Angeles Times.
  10. "COVID-19 testing at Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach". Curry Pilot. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  11. Strong, Amy Moss (April 7, 2020). "Three COVID-19 cases first to hit Curry County". The Worl : Bandon Western World. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  12. Wesley, Lashay (April 23, 2020). "Rural hospitals in Oregon using rapid coronavirus test with results in minutes". KATU. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  13. "Total Federal Payout To Oregon Hospitals In Flux | The Lund Report". www.thelundreport.org. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  14. Pinkham, Linda; Williams, Brian (April 30, 2020). "Curry Health Network riding financial roller coaster". Curry Pilot. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  15. Pinkham, Linda (April 8, 2020). "Curry Health Network Reduces Workforce". Curry Pilot. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  16. "Curry Health District : Curry General Hospital : Company Profiel : Financial Statements". Dun & Bradstreet. 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.

Rebuilding Curry General Hospital on YouTube (video, 3:30 minutes)

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