Ambulance Facility

The Oregon State Legislature approves the funding of $4,759,310 for the Santiam Hospital & Clinics Ambulance Facility.

Thank you to our grantor:
Marion County Commissioners

Why are we doing this?

Santiam Hospital and Clinic’s Ambulance Department plays a crucial role in our community, responding to over 3,200 calls for service annually, providing initial 9-1-1 ambulance coverage for a vast area of 160 square miles in Linn and Marion County. They cover emergency responses for the communities of Aumsville, Marion, Scio, Shaw, Stayton, and Sublimity and conduct emergent and non-emergence transfers to Santiam Hospital. In addition to the primary coverage area, 15 miles of the dangerous highway 22 corridor, and transfer requests, Santiam Ambulance provides coverage to over 1,000 square miles for mutual aid response.

Why are we doing this?

Santiam Hospital and Clinic’s Ambulance Department plays a crucial role in our community, responding to over 3,200 calls for service annually, providing initial 9-1-1 ambulance coverage for a vast area of 160 square miles in Linn and Marion County. They cover emergency responses for the communities of Aumsville, Marion, Scio, Shaw, Stayton, and Sublimity and conduct emergent and non-emergence transfers to Santiam Hospital. In addition to the primary coverage area, 15 miles of the dangerous highway 22 corridor, and transfer requests, Santiam Ambulance provides coverage to over 1,000 square miles for mutual aid response.

Santiam Hospital & Clinic’s Board of Directors is dedicated to sustaining the essential service the ambulance provides to the community and is committed to providing this critical service into the future.

Our fundraising efforts are centered around the $5.3 million Ambulance Facility Capital Campaign. Our current ambulance facilities do not meet the growing needs of our organization or the population we serve and hinder our ability to meet the demands of the community. Current limitations include:

• Ambulance bay height and size restrictions: 1 of 4 currently licensed ambulances fit in our two-bay ambulance garage due to low clearance of aging structure. Limitations result in ambulances being parked outside in the elements and not being temperature regulated.
• Limited Facility Space: Limited sleeping and common space has resulted in a hindrance to departmental growth and expansion of services.
• Regional EMS Training Space: Current ambulance and hospital facilities do not accommodate space to provide regional training to those that serve the Santiam Canyon.

What is getting done?

Planned improvements in the new facility design include:

• Improved Location: Anticipation for a new building with a central location to Highway 22 that allows for rapid response to all the areas that we serve.
• Improved Response Times: The new facility will allow for all ambulances to be adjacent to the EMS quarters allowing for decreased response times, allowing help to arrive faster.
• Training Room: A large training room will serve not only Santiam Hospital & Clinic’s Ambulance Department, but the greater EMS Community in the Santiam Canyon and the public by providing educational opportunities to those we serve.
• Preparing for the Future: Expanded bay space and sleeping rooms will allow the facility to accommodate growth in conjunction with the projected Marion County growth.
• Improved Safety and Security: The improved layout of the building and ambulance bays will emphasize safety and security, keeping our staff’s wellbeing a top priority.
• Improved Staff Work Environment: The renovation includes a new day room, exercise facility, and administrative space to improve employ health and wellness.
• Seismic Stability: Ensuring a seismic event will not hinder emergency response.
• Efficient Stocking of Ambulances: The crews are currently stocking some components of the ambulance prior to each call out due to temperature regulation for certain items. The new facility will be temperature controlled which can eliminate this issue and decrease the preparation time for each call.

Where are we?

The Oregon State Legislature approves the funding of $4,759,310 for the Santiam Hospital
& Clinics Ambulance Facility.