Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Winter 2017

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HOW are you ringing in 2017? Have
you made a New Year’s resolution to kick an
unhealthy habit, spend less, save more or take
up a new hobby? No matter what goals you’ve
set for yourself, the key to achievement is to
have a plan and stick with it!
At CMH, our 600-plus caregiver team has
many important goals to accomplish this year.
It’s my privilege to share a few highlights!
Medical excellence without the miles
First on the list is the launch of the
CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative.
Construction of the $16 million,
19,000-square-foot state-of-the-art cancer
treatment center on the CMH campus in
Astoria is on schedule to open later this
year. When it does, this community, and
those that surround us, will have exceptional
cancer treatment close to home, or as we’ve
been saying, medical excellence without the
miles. There is hardly a person I know who
has not been touched by cancer—making
this more of a mission than a goal. CMH is
resolved to provide a place where patients will
have advanced treatment and they and their
families will be treated with compassion in
a supremely healing environment.
Continuing growth
Another 2017 goal focuses on service
growth in several key areas, including
expanding our primary care base and
continuing our collaboration efforts with
Oregon Health & Science University
(OHSU) to bring more specialists to our
community—a model that is rare for
hospitals located in remote or rural areas.
When you come to the CMH Emergency
Room (ER), know that you are cared for
by experts. Ours is a flagship academic and
rural medicine outreach program whereby
ER leadership and coverage is provided by
OHSU board-certified emergency medicine
physicians, with a rotation of residents in
emergency medicine. The rural ER residency
program, the first of its kind in the state,
supports an environment committed to
teaching and excellence and serves to recruit
and place participants who wish to continue
practicing emergency medicine in a rural
environment in Oregon. In addition, we have
built an outstanding cardiac care program
and have added general surgery to the list of
services provided in collaboration with OHSU.
Other goals include further staff
development in the area of customer
service, continued innovation of our
Planetree philosophy of care, and exploring
ways to further support the Columbia
Pacific Coordinated Care Organization
in our collective efforts to reduce opiate
dependence through better management of
chronic pain and mental illness.
Erik Thorsen
CEO, Columbia Memorial Hospital
New
year,
new
goals
“ In everything we do, our focus is you. Our resolve to provide people-centered, quality-driven and service-focused
care is steadfast, and we thank you for the opportunity to be your partner in health this year and beyond.”
Erik Thorsen,
CEO, Columbia
Memorial Hospital