Hillsboro Medical Center will shut down its 21-bed geriatric psychiatry unit and its emergency observation unit on Sept. 4, eliminating 37 positions at one of Washington County's largest employers.

The closures cut 28 registered nurse jobs and nine advanced practice provider positions employed by Oregon Health & Science University, the hospital confirmed Friday, Aug. 7. The Oregon Nurses Association, which represents the affected RNs, has launched a petition campaign to reverse the decision that had collected 1,570 signatures as of Thursday, Aug. 6.

Hospital spokesperson Katie Koehler Reed said persistent staffing shortages, failed physician recruitment over multiple years and consistently low patient volumes forced the decision. She called the transition to other care options "the most responsible path forward" given the inability to sustain a stable program.

Of the 28 nurses losing their positions, 17 worked in geriatric psychiatry and 11 in the observation unit. Hospital officials said they have already placed 15 affected nurses into new roles at the medical center and are reserving nurse residency spots for staff who want to transition to other clinical areas. Questions about the nine OHSU-employed providers were referred to OHSU, which did not respond to a request for comment, according to the Hillsboro News-Times.

One of three units statewide

The closure removes one of only three acute inpatient psychiatric programs for older adults in Oregon. The remaining two facilities, Providence Milwaukie with 19 beds and Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville with 10, are frequently at or near capacity, according to the ONA.

Oregon currently has 50 inpatient geriatric psychiatric beds statewide. Losing Hillsboro's 21 beds would cut that total to 29, a reduction of more than 40%.

The ONA's petition called the decision "profit-motivated" and warned that the closure leaves a fragile patient population without adequate options for crisis stabilization. The union said the hospital notified it of the closures on July 8, after the nurses' contract expired June 30, and that the decision was never raised during bargaining.

The geriatric psychiatry unit relocated to Hillsboro Medical Center around 2018 after the former Tuality Community Hospital in Forest Grove was decommissioned. It is roughly seven years old.

Observation unit reverts to surgery prep

The nine-bed emergency observation unit, created during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients needing 24-to-48-hour monitoring, will revert to its original purpose as a surgical preparation and recovery space once the hospital's COVID-era waiver expires. Koehler Reed said the change will "increase access to the surgical services that our region needs."

The ONA has warned that losing those beds could worsen emergency department boarding, which the union described as already at dangerous levels at both OHSU and Hillsboro Medical Center.

As we reported July 26, nurse James Scholz told the Hillsboro City Council on July 22 that employees and patients were "blindsided" by the announcement. No council vote or follow-up hearing on the matter has been scheduled.

Hospital officials said the geriatric psychiatry unit will continue operating until current patients have been placed in clinically appropriate settings. Contract negotiations between the hospital and the ONA remain ongoing.