Visitors or patients to
Sky Lakes Medical Center will notice this hospital is much like any other hospital with the conventional front lobby help desk to greet and assist visitors during the day, a gift shop, coffee shop, cafeteria and ER.
Sky Lakes was formerly known as Merle West Medical Center and underwent a major renovation beginning in 2005 and was officially dedicated with its new name in 2007. The following excerpts taken off their website which makes this Superlatives claim (in bold):
Nestled at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range’s eastern slope in south-central Oregon, Sky Lakes Medical Center is the only full-service hospital in a 75-mile radius, and serves some 80,000 to 100,000 people in a 10,000-square-mile area of southern Oregon and northern California.
Sky Lakes Medical Center was built by the community in 1965 with a combination of money generated through fundraisers and federal grants. It continues to be a full-service, stand-alone, not-for-profit community hospital, licensed for 176 beds. Sky Lakes is not affiliated with any large healthcare system, nor does it receive direct financial support from taxes.
The hospital achieved national accreditation just three years after it opened, and maintained full Joint Commission accreditation until it earned international accreditation from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in 2011.
The Sky Lakes family includes the Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center, which opened in 1990 after a successful community fund-raising campaign. Its size doubled in the mid-90s, and in 2003 it was doubled again.
Dedicated to the family-centered philosophy of care, the 15,000-square-foot Sky Lakes Family Birth Center opened in 1998 in response to the changing needs of the community. It features 12 spacious private rooms that become home for the new family in that very special time, and combines modern technology with thoughtful design touches such as expansive windows that allow natural light to wash over the nurses’ station, nursery, and family areas.
The medical center became a teaching hospital in the mid-1990s when the Cascades East Family Practice Residency Program opened. The 24 physicians who are in the three-year Family Medicine residency program help meet the medical needs of people throughout the region. Many of the graduates now practice medicine in Klamath Falls or in rural settings throughout the United States.
The medical center’s 100,000-square-foot inpatient care area was dedicated in 2007 following two years of construction. It features 50 private rooms and 17 semi-private rooms, two outdoor gardens, and an expanded Emergency Department. The previous hospital houses support services and offices.
Sky Lakes Medical Center, its employees, volunteers, and medical staff are partners with the community in social and economic issues as well as healthcare matters. We consider the medical center to be a vital community asset that stands ready to help make the region we serve healthier.
_____________________________________________________
On a personal note, I was born at this hospital and spent a week as a patient here for an illness a number of years ago. This hospital has also had its share of financial woes the past few years and unfortunately has suffered in reduced staff and a high percentage of turnover rate from incoming doctors and other medical staff. It's safe to say that a typical ER visit will result in a good 3-4 hour wait if your emergency is non life-threatening. A very disappointing statistic.