By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The opening of Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend earlier this month is putting a strain on Eugene ambulance crews, which are spending more time driving to the Springfield hospital and more time transferring patients there from the old hospital in Eugene.
PeaceHealth, the hospitals’ corporate parent, is operating emergency departments both at RiverBend, in the Gateway area of Springfield, and at Sacred Heart Medical Center, University District, in Eugene. But patients requiring surgery or any kind of invasive procedure — for trauma, cardiac and obstetric issues, for example — need to be treated at RiverBend because that’s where the operating rooms and most of the specialists are located.
Medics are spending more time driving to and from the hospital, which means it takes them more time to respond to emergencies, emergency medical service officials said.
Full Story: Longer ride to new hospital