News

Contact: Sarah Bello

Funding reflects commitment to resilience in hospital expansion

ASTORIA, Ore. — Columbia Memorial Hospital is thrilled to receive a state budget allocation of $6 million to help fund resiliency goals in its hospital expansion.

“We are deeply grateful to Rep. Cyrus Javadi, Sen. Suzanne Weber, Governor Tina Kotek, the Oregon Legislature, CFM Advocates, and everyone who supported this budget allocation for health care in Clatsop County,” says Erik Thorsen, CEO. “This investment will help us get closer to 100% funding for the project and ensure uninterrupted, lifesaving care in critical moments.”

Thorsen says the state support demonstrates a shared commitment to the health and wellbeing of the region.

“CMH’s mission is ‘We help people live their healthiest lives.’ We are proud to partner with the state to build a stronger, healthier future for the North Oregon Coast,” Thorsen says. “We thank our state leaders for believing in the vision of the BuildCMH Expansion Project and investing in the resiliency measures to keep rural Oregonians safe in natural disasters.”

Phase I of the expansion is set to be completed in 2027. The resiliency measures included in the design go beyond regulation requirements and will allow the hospital to provide vital services to the Astoria community in case of an earthquake or tsunami. Those measures include:

• Strengthened foundations to survive earthquake-induced liquefaction and tsunami-induced scouring effects.
• All critical patient care spaces and support systems elevated above the extreme event site-specific inundation zone.
• A tsunami-safe refuge space accommodating up to 1,898 people in the aftermath of a Cascadia event.
• An external, vertical staircase to allow evacuation to the safe refuge space from the surrounding community.
• A helipad located on the roof of the structure to facilitate post-tsunami evacuation and supply delivery.
• Additional storage for food, water and supplies to support refugees prior to evacuation.
• An elevated Emergency Operations Center to maintain communications with the region and response teams during an event.
• Elevated electrical generators, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems hardened for patient support and maintained through the intended refuge period.

The expansion will include total new construction of approximately 180,000 square feet, incorporating a critically needed expansion of the Emergency Department. Other expanded areas include additional operating rooms, advanced imaging equipment, additional and larger patient rooms, and expanded lab services.

The expansion will help CMH to continue to grow, bringing new services and state-of-the-art technology and equipment to the community, including robotic surgery.

CMH initially requested the $6 million as a match to a federal FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant of $20 million, announced in 2023. That grant provided $14 million and required a 30% local funding match, but the grant has since been canceled.

“We continue to pursue every avenue to have the federal funding restored for this significant community project,” says Mark Kujala, executive director of the CMH Foundation. “We are elated to have the state behind us.”