COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG Early Summer 2026 3 One of the most common questions we receive about the BuildCMH Expansion Project involves the hospital’s bed count for inpatients. CMH is a 25-bed hospital and will remain a 25-bed hospital with the expansion. But the definition you use for the number of “beds” matters. Our 25 inpatient beds are available for those who need to stay in the hospital longer than 48 hours. But about 80% of the patients we see in the hospital are there for outpatient business. This means that 80% of patients are going home the same day or within less than 48 hours. Only 20% of the patients we see will need one of these inpatient beds for longer stays. More than meets the eye Even though we are staying a 25-bed facility, we are expanding beds elsewhere: ● We have added four dedicated observation beds, available for patients who need to be admitted as inpatients but who won’t stay longer than 48 hours. These four beds are in addition to the 25 inpatient beds. ● Our Emergency Department (ED) currently has eight beds, plus four more in the halls due to lack of space in our existing facility. The expansion will include up to 24 beds in the ED at CMH. In comparison, Oregon Health & Science University’s main ED in Portland has 32 beds. While our ED sees around 17,000 patients per year, OHSU’s sees 76,000. The growth in the size of our ED here will be significant. ● In our Surgical Services Department, we will expand from seven pre- and post-operative rooms to 19. Those are “beds,” too. With most patients here for procedures like total joint replacements, colonoscopies and hysterectomies going home the same day or the following day, we don’t need more inpatient beds. The bottom line Modern medicine has seen a shift away from inpatient care to outpatient treatment and surgeries. Alongside that, our Medicare designation as a Critical Access Hospital — essential to our bottom line as a rural hospital — requires us to limit bed count. With these guidelines in mind, the Board evaluated the county’s demographics and needs for inpatient beds. Taking into account the average daily patient census of 12 and average length of stay of three days, Board members made the decision to stay a 25-bed hospital. By understanding how beds are counted, you can rest assured that the expansion will help CMH modernize and serve increasing community needs. Have more questions? With the expansion even more visible this year, we are excited to involve the community even more. Read the latest project news, submit questions and feedback, and keep an eye on the project by watching live construction cameras at columbiamemorial.org/ buildcmh. BUILDCMH UPDATE Why 25 is the right number The math behind the bed count in the expanded facility
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