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Project name: Legacy Silverton Emergency Department

Location: Silverton

Completion: March 2024

Size: 21,000 square feet

Owner: Legacy Health System

Architect: Clark/Kjos Architects

Interior Designer: Bainbridge

Engineers: KPFF, PCS Structural Solutions, PAE

General Contractor: Andersen Construction

Submitting Company: Andersen Construction

Subcontractors: Bell Hardware, Cash’s Drapery, Dallas Glass, DeaMor Associates, Empire Painting, Flynn, Green Mountain Excavation, McKinstry, Northside Electric, Paulson’s Flooring, Rexius, Salem Wood, Southland, SteelFab, WPI

Legacy Silverton Medical Center has completed the first phase of a major expansion project, fulfilling promises made when Legacy Health and Silverton Hospital joined forces in 2016.

The 20,000-square-foot addition to the hospital’s southwest corner includes a new entrance with a covered drop-off and pick-up area, expanded lobby and a modernized emergency department that increases capacity from 12 to 20 patient rooms.

The emergency department now features larger treatment bays and specialized rooms for trauma patients, cardiac care and women’s services. A new helicopter landing pad across the street enables faster transfers of critically ill patients to Portland facilities like Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and Randall Children’s Hospital.

Other improvements include a redesigned coffee shop, gift shop and volunteer greeter station in the lobby. The Family Birth Center received a new waiting room, and an All Faiths Chapel offers space for reflection and prayer. The project was made possible, in part, due to support from corporate and individual donors and the Silverton Health Foundation Board.

Andersen Construction led the project, which was completed in three phases to minimize disruption. Phase 1 involved site prep and demolition, and building a new parking lot so the existing lot could be used for construction staging. The new lot included the permanent helicopter pad. Phase 2 involved building the 20,000-square-foot addition. Phase 3 involved connecting the addition and making upgrades to the existing building.

The project employed innovative techniques including Pro-Press water pipe fittings instead of traditional copper soldering, enhancing safety by eliminating fire hazards. Building Information Modeling coordination optimized the integration of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

What sets this expansion apart is the hospital’s independent board structure, separate from Legacy Health, ensuring local voices remained central in decision-making.

The expansion has increased patient capacity by 10-15 percent, improving healthcare access while creating jobs and economic growth. Project leaders prioritized hiring local contractors, including Northside Electric, Dallas Glass and Bob Fencing.

As always, safety was a top priority on the site. Life safety consultants were used to engineer temporary partitions so that proper building separation could be maintained during construction of the new addition. The consultant verified that life safety was appropriate to keep construction noise, dust and hazards separate from the active side of the hospital. This required properly rated temporary walls and proper exiting to meet fire regulations.