PeaceHealth has announced the beginning of a comprehensive process to close the underutilized University District hospital in Eugene, Oregon. PeaceHealth plans to move inpatient rehabilitation, emergency, and medical services to its RiverBend campus in Springfield after it receives regulatory approval.

Since opening in 2008, the RiverBend hospital has increased capacity and access, and the community’s reliance on the University District has diminished, with patient volume declining to the point where the University District facility consistently generates losses averaging $2 million per month.

“After careful consideration and an ongoing ethical discernment, PeaceHealth has decided to close the hospital at University District,” said Alicia Beymer, chief administrative officer of PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center, University District. “We believe consolidating some services at RiverBend will provide an enhanced care experience.”  Based in Vancouver, PeaceHealth is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.