Three staff members at Asante Ashland Community Hospital brought forward concerns about the fate of the hospital at Tuesday鈥檚 city council meeting.
They said that even though ACH closed its intensive care unit last year and has not renewed its contracts with anesthesia providers or one of its orthopedic surgeons, the hospital is an important part of the community.
鈥淎CH is an extension of this community, and reflects the community鈥檚 values in its practice of health care,鈥� said Suzanne Haveman, a part-time nurse at Asante, during her public comment. 鈥淎ll employees are considered caregivers in how we treat each other and how we treat our patients, from physicians to housekeepers.鈥�
Haveman started at the hospital in the late 1970s, and said that although it was small, the quality was 鈥渋ncredible.鈥�
鈥淭he dedication, skills and knowledge of the staff at the time were excellent, and that smallness made it a little more personable,鈥� she said over the phone.
In 2013, the daily operations of the hospital were transferred from the City of Ashland to Asante, a contracted health care provider.
Since then, the hospital has been 鈥渨hittled away,鈥� Haveman said. It closed its intensive care unit and has been experiencing staffing shortages. It even closed its gift shop.
Dr. John Mauer, another ACH staff member who gave a public comment, said he was 鈥渃oncerned about the fate of our hospital,鈥� but that he was not there to 鈥渟hoot torpedoes at a sinking ship.鈥�
He said the community needed to be apprised of the stability of the hospital, which has been called into question by staff members since the acquisition.
鈥淎ctions speak louder than words,鈥� Mauer said. 鈥淲e have seen the diminution in our hospital. We have watched the ICU be terminated. We are not able, therefore, to do high risk surgeries. Our surgical volume is down.鈥�
The intensive care unit鈥檚 closure in 2013 prompted concern from Dr. B. Monte Stewart, a general surgeon at the hospital, who was the third staff member to speak.
鈥淚t is currently impossible to recruit, because nobody would be able to come to a place where we don鈥檛 know where it鈥檚 moving forward,鈥� Stewart said.
More recently, Asante decided not to renew its contract with its anesthesia providers, according to Stewart. Right now, it is using temporary providers to help the two permanent staff members. He says the contract will end September 1.
鈥淚鈥檝e got cases scheduled in September, and I鈥檓 not positive what my anesthesia plan is, to be able to do those surgeries,鈥� Stewart said.
The hospital falls into a larger trend of health care being 鈥渙n an edge,鈥� something that was exacerbated by the pandemic, he said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a real struggle, and certainly in Oregon, of not having enough beds, and not having enough providers in certain specialties is creating a real concern about access,鈥� Stewart added.
These issues raised concerns for a number of staff members, calling into question the hospital鈥檚 plan for the future. Stewart said the hospital has not been entirely transparent about how it hopes to address those issues.
Hospital officials say they're working to address those concerns.
鈥淎sante Ashland Community Hospital is a treasure in our region, known for delivering healthcare in an intimate setting,鈥� said Asante spokesperson Desirae Myers. 鈥淲e are excited to complete our strategic planning efforts that are currently underway so that we can invest in the facility and plan for the future needs of our community.鈥�
Stewart said he is hopeful that Asante will present a strong strategic plan at the end of September.
