| Sky Lakes Medical Center | |
| Sky Lakes Medical Center | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2865 Daggett Avenue, Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Community-based non-profit |
| Hospital type | General, Surgical, Teaching |
| Affiliated university | Oregon Health & Science University |
| Services | |
| Helipad | (FAA LID: 9OR3) |
| Beds | 176[1] |
| History | |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Links | |
| Website | skylakes.org |
| Lists | Hospitals in Oregon |
Sky Lakes Medical Center (formerly Merle West Medical Center)[2] is a 176-bed general medical and surgical hospital located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States. Sky Lakes is also a teaching hospital affiliated with Oregon Health & Science University Medical School through the Cascades East Rural Family Medicine Residency Program. It is a community-owned medical center that serves the healthcare needs of an area of approximately 10,000 square miles (26,000 km2) in Oregon and northern California.[1] The hospital was founded in 1965 and incorporated in 1968.
Sky Lakes Medical Center provides a birthing center, Blood Bank, Cardiac Catherization Lab, General - Acute Care, Intensive Care Unit, Computerized Tomography Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Mammography & Radiology/Diagnostic-Imaging/MRI/X-Ray, Nuclear Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Orthopedics, Outpatient Services, Radiation Therapy, Wellness/Health&Fitness Center.[3] The hospital is equipped with a FAA LID: 9OR3 Heliport on its campus.
Besides patient care, Sky Lakes also carries out medical research and offers practicum positions for family medicine residents and nursing students through its affiliation with the Oregon Health & Science University.
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Sky Lakes Medical Center is located adyacent to the Oregon Institute of Technology campus on a hill, which gently slopes from the east to the west, in the northeast part of Klamath Falls.[4] The hill lies on the southeast shore of the Upper Klamath Lake, accessed through U.S. Route 97. The hospital has a parking structure and three parking lots, the main lot being served by a shuttle service that ferry patients and visitors between their vehicles and the medical center. The Hospital is served by two Basin Transit Service bus routes. It also has an ambulance bay and a helicopter landing pad.
In the late 1950s a citizen task force in Klamath County outlined the future healthcare needs of the region and with a successful fund-drive constructed what is now Sky Lakes Medical Center, opening in October 1965. In 1968, the hospital became a member of the American Hospital Association, though it wasn't until the 1970s, that the name was changed to Merle West Medical Center. The hospital changed its name to Sky Lakes Medical Center in May 2007 with a new philosophy on the perceptions of the service of health care.[1]
Patients are usually referred to the hospital by their doctors or clinics for specialized care, but may also be admitted through the emergency department. Sky Lakes Medical Center reported 6,112 acute admissions in 2010 for a total of 20,738 patient days and a 3.39 average length of stay.[5] That same year the hospital reported 6,741 surgical procedures and 23,248 emergency room visits.
Sky Lakes medical laboratory reported 395,941 laboratory tests and assays in 2010, while the medical imaging department reported 28,429 X-ray exams, 8,872 ultrasounds and 16,507 MRI and CT scans.[5] Physical therapy reported 11,382 procedures in 2010 and the home health nursing program reported 814 nursing episodes.[5]
Through a financial assistance program at Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center, cancer patinets receive medication reinbursements for qualifying high-dollar treatments. The program researches grants and other available funds and prorams, based on diagnoses, to help patients better afford their treatment expenses.
Sky Lakes Medical Center sponsors several annual community health-related activities, including the "Living Well" community health fair with more than 50 exhibitors providing information and resources for the community, providing free eye, ear, blood glucose and cholesterl screenings, as well as blood pressure checks, body mass index readings and lung-function tests. The event usually provides car seat checks and medication evaluations also.[6]
Sky Lakes also funds the "Casccade East" mobil clinic and the annual Lake of the Woods Races.
Sky Lakes Medical Center is managed and funded by the Sky Lakes Medical Center Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 that adheres to the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy standards of professional ethics. The Sky Lakes Medical Center Foundation is the primary fundraising organization for the hospital, which receives donations by benefactors including former patients, other foundations and local business leaders.
Sky Lakes provides direct financial support to dozens of local physician practices, helping ensure their stability and availability in the community.
Sky Lakes Medical Center is affiliated with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) education and research branches, providing internship and practicum positions for over 20 resident physicians in pursuit of their family medicine specialty. Sky Lakes produces a continuing investment in Cascades East Family Medicine residents' program. The hospital also works with OHSU, Oregon Institute of Technology and Klamath Community College faculties, supplementing their nursing programs with hands-on clinical expeosure.