St. Charles Bend opens 12-space unit for lower-severity emergencies

St. Charles Bend has opened a 12-space modular unit for patients with lower-severity emergencies, adding treatment capacity intended to ease crowding and shorten waits. Staff will direct patients from the existing waiting room to the unit for care such as stitches, sprains, minor fractures and kidney stones; patients who may need admission will remain in the main emergency department. The new spaces offer more privacy than hallway care and include an enclosed room for minor procedures. The expansion is an interim measure as the hospital plans to nearly double emergency department capacity over the next two decades, with some funding for the unit provided by community donations.