8/11/2021 10:45 a.m.

CHI Mercy Health, in Roseburg, is beginning to move forward with $31 million expansion project.

Information from Sarah Baumgartner, a spokesperson for CHI Mercy Health, says after two years of strategic planning, Mercy is moving forward with a significant expansion of its existing facilities.

The initial planning phase of the project began in July, with construction expected to begin in 2022.

The expansion will be completed by 2024, if everything goes to plan.

Baumgartner says the goal of the expansion is to “better meet the growing needs for inpatient and outpatient care, keep pace with advances in medicine, and strengthen the future viability of Douglas County healthcare services.”

Highlights of the project include expansion and modernization of Mercy’s operating rooms, the addition of a 16-bed observation unit, a newly constructed 10-bed fast track area – adjacent to the existing emergency department, and a renovation and expansion of patient care areas at the Oregon Surgery Center building.

Officials say Mercy’s existing 190,045 square-foot facility is often operating at capacity, and the expansion will provide Douglas County residents with improved access to medical services.

Working with their parent company, Common-Spirit Health, Mercy was granted $31 million with the caveat of securing providers to maintain critical services in the community.

Find more information about CHI Mercy Health here.