Inside 3 Guiding principles of the build 7 Working together for health care excellence EARLY SPRING 2023 DEVOTED TOHEALTHFUL LIVING CMH invests in major expansion
Robert Holland, MD, PhD CMH Board of Trustees President Robert Holland, MD, PhD, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who retired in 2020 after spending 18 years of a more than 30-year career at CMH. Dr. Holland continues to serve as president of the hospital’s Board of Trustees, a community-led group guiding and overseeing the strategic focus of CMH’s future plans. Erik Thorsen, MBA, CPA, FACHE CEO/Project Sponsor Erik Thorsen, MBA, CPA, FACHE, has been CEO of Columbia Memorial Hospital since 2010. Thorsen has worked at CMH for 20 years, previously serving as CFO and COO. Under his leadership, CMH has grown significantly, partnered with OHSU and achieved the distinction of being a Planetree Gold-Certified Hospital. Thorsen has extensive experience in health care, including over 25 years in administration. During his career with CMH, he has overseen construction of the CMH Health & Wellness Pavilion and the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative. Randy McClelland, PMP Project Director Randy McClelland, PMP, is the Project Director for the BuildCMH Expansion Project. McClelland has worked at CMH for more than 14 years. He was previously the director of strategic initiatives, accountable for all organizational strategic planning processes. He now focuses full-time on master campus planning, working directly with the design, architect and construction teams. BuildCMH Project team ZGF Architects, Architect/Design ZGF Architects has deep Oregon roots, starting out in Portland more than 75 years ago. Over the years, the firm’s staff and experience has grown, working on health care projects in cities across Oregon, the Northwest, the U.S. and North America. In the past five years alone, ZGF has completed over 220 health care projects, including programming and master planning, new construction, additions, and remodels, with construction budgets ranging from less than $100,000 to more than $500 million. Skanska USA, General Contractor With its 70-year history in the Pacific Northwest, Skanska USA was selected as the general construction management firm for the expansion project at CMH. In addition to its local health care expertise, the project team will draw upon the national resources of its firmwide Healthcare Advisory Council, which shares best practices and leading-edge concepts in hospital and health facility construction from around the world. Skanska USA's mission is to provide CMH and the community with unparalleled expertise in all aspects of health care construction, allowing them to focus on what they do best — caring for the health and well-being of CMH’s North Coast community. By Erik Thorsen, CEO The Columbia Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the BuildCMH Expansion Project, a major expansion of the hospital campus in Astoria. The new development will be a center for health and wellness, while also providing a resilient structure that can serve as a safe harbor in case of a natural disaster. It’s exciting to be a part of an endeavor of this magnitude for our community. In this issue of Health Compass, it’s our honor and privilege to introduce you to the project, our team and the work we’re doing to better the community for decades to come. CMH invests in major expansion 2 HEALTH COMPASS EARLY SPRING 2023
What we’re keeping in mind as we build When CMH began this project, the first order of business was to provide guiding principles, or recommendations, that offered universal and enduring direction to the expansion project. The CMH Board of Trustees decided on four main areas that highlighted the most critical aspects of the build and why we are embarking on this mission. 4 principles to guide our way Community connection As an employer and a health care provider, CMH considers it our responsibility to be a good neighbor. We hope to integrate the campus within the community, accommodating and exceeding future health and wellness needs. In constructing a center to care for the whole person, we will utilize local businesses and talent whenever possible. Planetree and quality Maintaining our Planetree Gold Level certification and reflecting it in all hospital buildings is of utmost importance at CMH. The promise of person-centered care to both our patients and caregivers is what makes us unique. With a new facility, we can optimize patient care flows and operational efficiencies to increase patient safety and satisfaction. To do this, we will use evidence-based design and research. A state-of-the-art hospital will help attract and retain top-level caregivers to provide excellent health care services for many years to come. Financial stewardship CMH is a private, not-for-profit hospital. This designation means that no local property tax revenue is used to support our vision and mission. We do not work under the umbrella of a giant corporation and must earn what we use to complete any project in our hospital and clinics. Consequently, we plan to fund the expansion with four sources: using saved cash on hand, taking on new and manageable debt, running a capital fundraising campaign, and applying for grants. It is vital to the organization that we remain a Medicaredesignated critical access hospital and that the expansion’s design is adaptable for the future needs of CMH and the community. Regional resiliency and environmental championship The CMH campus is located within the Cascadia Subduction Zone (XL) tsunami inundation area. It is also bordered by the L-size earthquake inundation area along Exchange Street on the north side. Serious considerations will be given and expected for a resilient design that will survive a natural disaster. The facility’s overall design will bring together the region’s beauty, emphasizing natural light and views, while maintaining the safety standards required to provide excellent care to our patients and community. This expansion will allow CMH to continue to grow, bringing new services and technology to the community. The CMH Board is focused on the specialties that are appropriate for a rural facility to offer and keeping patients from having to travel long distances for care. Creating a flexible design that supports continued development in primary and secondary service areas is a must. COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG EARLY SPRING 2023 3
Expanding care and providing a resilient future for our community By Robert Holland, MD, PhD President, CMH Board of Trustees Following the consolidation of Columbia Hospital and St. Mary Hospital, Columbia Memorial Hospital opened its doors at 2111 Exchange St. in 1977. Since then, it’s added new clinics, providers and service lines, growing along with the ever-popular Columbia coast region. From its humble beginnings in 1927 to its current status as one of the largest rural health care systems in the state, CMH has worked to bridge the gap between its rural location and access to specialty care close to home. In line with CMH’s mission to provide excellence in caring for our community’s health needs, the Board of Trustees has recognized the need to upgrade. In 2017, we took the first step toward modernizing our campus with the opening of the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative. Now, to broaden the scope of our services and ensure state-of-the-art care throughout the hospital, we need to expand our physical spaces, streamline equipment and diagnostic services, and add specialties often found only in larger institutions. After 45 years in our facility, it is time to consider a new hospital building project, introducing the area to a new era in health care. While the current hospital facility has been wellmaintained, it lacks expandability and is vulnerable to earthquakes, tremors and tsunamis. We need a new, resilient health care facility that will endure and help the community thrive for the next 50 years. That’s where an expanded facility comes in. As a private, notfor-profit health system, we are deeply committed to improving our community’s health and well-being, seeking new ways to innovate, and advancing our level of care and service while holding to our Planetree philosophy of person-centered care. From our Family Birth Center to Lower Columbia Hospice, CMH aims to be the provider of choice and a trusted center of health and wellness for the region. For more than 11 years, we’ve partnered with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to bring specialty services to the area. Our continuing partnership with OHSU will maintain access to front-line medical changes, research and the best care available anywhere. The expanded facility will allow seamless coordination of care with physicians, surgeons and other health care professionals for nearly all levels of patient need, before birth and beyond. The current facility can’t support the growing demand for services and providers in our area. Moreover, improvements are needed so it can survive a natural disaster. We intend to construct a facility that will take us into the next century while bringing safe, state-of-the-art health care to the Lower Columbia region. Necessary growth Growing to meet the needs of our community has always been a part of our plan. to meet your needs Growing 4 HEALTH COMPASS EARLY SPRING 2023
EXPANSION HOSPITAL REMODELED HOSPITAL CANCER CENTER POB1 POB2 EXCHANGE STREET 20th STREET 18th STREET FRANKLIN STREET MAIN ENTRANCE In the past three years alone, the health care industry has been challenged like never before. As a rural hospital and regional trauma center, CMH has strategically grown to meet the needs of the community. For example, in 2010, the area was served by a visiting cardiologist two days a month. Now, five providers in the CMHOHSU Health Cardiology Clinic care for patients. Adding services like cardiology and oncology has allowed patients to stay close to home for convenient specialty care. CMH is a health care hub for the region, and it’s imperative to grow even more. “Our current facility has served the community well and saved many lives,” says Erik Thorsen, CEO. “In the last decade, CMH and OHSU have launched many new service lines, and we have run out of spaces to grow. We need an expansion to better serve our growing patient population.” CMH also wants to improve the resiliency standards upon which the original hospital was built. Since CMH opened in 1977, there have been countless advancements with seismic knowledge and standards. Now that we know more, we want CMH to be a place to seek refuge during an earthquake or tsunami, not a place that we need to evacuate. Where we need to be Patients come to CMH from as far away as Tillamook, Oregon, and Raymond, Washington, for specialties and services such as cancer treatment, pediatrics and pulmonology. More than 80 providers serve 35,000 patients, with numbers growing each year since 2014 (not including 2020, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic). The CMH Board of Trustees, composed of 15 volunteer community members, has a vision for the hospital’s expansion in its current location in Astoria. With a shared goal of keeping the hospital viable and ensuring the delivery of safe, quality health care services, the Board is moving forward with the BuildCMH Expansion Project. Some people have wondered why CMH would make such a big investment in building on its present land, but it’s exactly where we need to be. Because of the level of care we provide here, our service area has grown exponentially. This is where our community needs us. The infrastructure to respond to a disaster The current hospital was constructed without the knowledge we have today regarding the Cascadia Subduction Zone. In case of a natural disaster, the building could sustain major damage or worse. With an updated facility, built to last and serve patients in extreme conditions, CMH will provide the infrastructure necessary to respond to such an event. “The team of architects, engineers and contractors that we are working with has many years of experience in health care design, and they are wellversed in building for resiliency and sustainability,” says Randy McClelland, BuildCMH Expansion Project Director. “We’re excited to construct not just a center for health and wellness, but also a safe harbor for the community in a disaster situation.” The expansion will focus on structural adaptability and minimized disruptions in case of catastrophe. It will meet the highest earthquake standards, and critical functions of the facility will remain operational even in an emergency. We’re excited to construct an innovative, resilient hospital of the future to care for many generations to come. The BuildCMH Expansion Project will lead our community into the next era of seamless, modernized, person-centered health care. COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG EARLY SPRING 2023 5
In 2022, during the schematic design phase of the BuildCMH Expansion Project, caregivers and leaders from across the hospital gave input on where departments should be located, how much space was needed, and how to best serve patients’ and departments’ needs. Shared plans Growth is a good thing. Our community has grown, and so have we. We need an expanded hospital to better serve the health of our neighbors. Since 2013, primary care visits have increased by 1,050%. We’ve collaborated with OHSU for 11+ years. By the numbers CMH is one of only a few private, not- for-profit hospitals in Oregon and draws no local tax revenue. In the past decade, we’ve grown from CAREGIVERS. 423 750 to CMH currently provides care in 15+ outpatient clinics. 6 HEALTH COMPASS EARLY SPRING 2023
Partnering with the community for a better future By Mark Kujala Executive Director of the CMH Foundation First, on behalf of Columbia Memorial Hospital, thank you. Your support over the years has enabled CMH to continually increase services and build a reputation as an innovative rural health care provider. The CMH Foundation’s mission is: “Developing resources to assure excellence in health care.” Because of your financial contributions over the years, we have radically improved the health and wellness of our community. In 2022, we launched a new signature event: the Diamond Derby. This was CMH’s first event in seven years. On May 7, we held a gathering of fabulous attire and great food, and watched an absolutely thrilling finish to a Kentucky Derby Race for the ages. The CMH Foundation raised more than $465,000 that day, and those dollars were the first to be put toward the BuildCMH Expansion Project. All who contributed at the first Diamond Derby will have those donations added to their cumulative total and dedicated to the project. BuildCMH Capital Campaign This year, we plan to launch the BuildCMH Capital Campaign, and we invite you to be a part of it. This will be a transformative moment in the history of CMH and this region. Your donation will enhance the facility’s resiliency and further expand opportunities for more state-of-the-art patient care. By bringing more care here to the North Coast of Oregon and the Southwest Coast of Washington, we’ll impact more lives and improve the future of this community. The BuildCMH Capital Campaign will be significant, and your financial support will be necessary to make this vision a reality. Most importantly, your donation will be recognized and appreciated. There will be a stunning donor wall located near the expansion entrance and numerous naming opportunities throughout the building to recognize our major gift donors. But it will also be a lot of fun. We will be hosting the 2023 Diamond Derby on May 6 at CMH and partnering with the Buffalo Bills’ Pro Bowl Safety Jordan Poyer and his foundation on June 16 for the CMH/Jordan Poyer Golf Tournament. Throughout the construction process, there will be more events for donors to gather and celebrate each milestone along the way. You’ll be hearing more about the BuildCMH Capital Campaign soon. We look forward to having you join us on this journey to enhance the health of this community for decades to come. Your contributions to the BuildCMH Capital Campaign support our health system’s longevity and resiliency as a hub for continued care in our community. The first Diamond Derby signature event raised more than $465,000 for the BuildCMH Expansion Project. Learn more about the 2023 event: columbiamemorial.org/diamond-derby. COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG EARLY SPRING 2023 7
Highlighting local talent Kevin Ames, of Ames Design Co. in Warrenton, designed the BuildCMH Expansion Project logo featuring an emphasis on nature and forward movement. Ames has been a designer for 14 years. He opened his graphic design, branding and illustration business in 2011. He has done logo and illustration work for other local organizations, including Lum’s Auto Center, Sisu Brewing, The Nest Bakery and the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert. He currently works as the in-house graphic designer for Buoy Beer Co. and Pilot House Distilling in Astoria. CMH HEALTH COMPASS is published as a community service by COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, a Planetree Gold-Certified Person-Centered Care Facility. 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103, telephone 503-325-4321, website: columbiamemorial.org For information about CMH HEALTH COMPASS: Sarah Bello, MBA, Marketing Manager Robert Holland, MD, PhD President, Board of Trustees Erik Thorsen, MBA, CPA, FACHE Chief Executive Officer Nicole Williams, MPA Chief Operating Officer Information in CMH HEALTH COMPASS comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. 2023 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Christopher Strear, MD, FACEP Chief Medical Officer Jarrod Karnofski, PT, DPT Vice President, Ancillary and Support Services Judy Geiger, RN, MBA Vice President, Patient Care Services Christopher Laman, PharmD, MBA Vice President, Strategy COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 2111 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Walla Walla, WA Permit No. 44 Find us on social media! @cmhcommunity @cmhcommunity linkedin.com/company/ columbia-memorial-hospital @cmhcommunity Stay up-to-date on our plans It’s very important to us that the members of our community are involved in our plans. From submitting questions and feedback, to providing input and suggestions, to supporting us financially through donations — everything helps as we develop our shared future through the BuildCMH Expansion Project. We plan to keep the community updated on the progress of the project on our website. Visit columbiamemorial.org/buildcmh to read the latest news, make a donation and view frequently asked questions. The website also has a form to submit questions of your own, answered by the project team. Eventually we hope to include live webcam views to show the construction in action. Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey! Follow project updates and news at columbiamemorial.org/buildcmh.
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