ASTORIA, Ore. — Imagine you are in the Emergency Department (ED) with your child, who has a broken arm. You hear someone screaming about horrific abuse they have suffered and that the staff are not to be trusted. Your child is now even more scared to be there.
How can we make a situation like that better for everyone? Beginning in 2024, CMH will make a $250 million-plus investment in the community by constructing a significant hospital expansion, the BuildCMH Expansion Project. Some of the strategic goals of this project include improving access, augmenting the patient experience and increasing staff members’ safety while treating a broader spectrum of patient types and acuity levels.
That real-life example above illustrates the overall impact of mental health crises on patient and caregiver experiences in the current facility.
The construction of two Safer Rooms in the ED, along with two additional Safer Rooms on the third floor, will improve safety and care for patients and caregivers. These Safer Rooms will also include better monitoring technology and Safer Bathrooms to help prevent opportunities for self-harm.
Caring for patients and caregivers
Allison Whisenhunt, director of Behavioral Health and Care Management, can attest to the need for upgrades to care better for a patient in crisis.
“Health care professionals face significant frustration, caring for behavioral health patients in a setting that is designed for medical care, and concern for the safety of oneself, colleagues and patients can further contribute to the situation,” Whisenhunt explains. “The hectic nature of the ED can increase verbal and physical behaviors for those in psychiatric crises, often leading to a scary experience for other patients in the ED. Our community needs rooms in our ED that can be rapidly and effectively converted to being safer, calmer spaces for patients in psychiatric crises.”
CareOregon is helping fill the need with a $2 million grant supporting the construction of Safer Rooms in the expansion. CareOregon made the grant on behalf of its subsidiary, Columbia Pacific CCO.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity to contribute to the construction of these Safer Rooms,” says Mimi Haley, executive director of Columbia Pacific CCO. “It fit perfectly with the priority of behavioral health for both CareOregon and Columbia Pacific. This project will benefit the whole community.”
With the grant, CMH has officially reached the halfway point in its $10 million capital campaign for the expansion, having raised $5 million already.
To learn more about the campaign and how to be a part of it, visit columbiamemorial.org/buildcmh-campaign