Infection-control breach prompts review at Providence Medford Medical Center

Published 8:50 am Saturday, July 26, 2025

Providence Medford Medical Center. Rogue Valley Times file phoyo

Recent 11-day closure of endoscopy department confirmed by hospital and OHA officials; free patient testing offered

Providence Medford Medical Center and Oregon Health Authority officials this week confirmed a recent 11-day closure of the hospital’s endoscopy department after an infection-control breach.

Hospital officials said in a written statement to the Rogue Valley Times that the endoscopy department had been closed from June 27 to July 8 after it was discovered “that some quality-control steps and related processes in endoscopy cleaning were not completed in some cases.”

Hospital officials said they consulted with the OHA’s Healthcare-Associated Infection program, were consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based in Atlanta and that free testing was being offered to affected patients.

Hospital officials declined to specify the type of testing being offered and also said Friday they had not determined the number of patients affected by the recent breach.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Providence temporarily paused endoscopy procedures. This pause allowed us to review our processes and retrain our caregiver team. During this time, we followed our normal process for low-volume staffing,” the Providence statement said.

During the in-house review, hospital officials found “opportunities for improvement and have implemented ongoing changes” as part of the hospital’s “continuing commitment to improving patient safety,” officials said.

OHA officials confirmed the infection-control breach, which they said centered around a quality-control issue related to the endoscopy scope cleaning processes.

“Oregon Health Authority (OHA) acknowledges the concern from anyone affected by a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) – an infection acquired while they are receiving care in a hospital or other health facility,” the agency said in a ststement Friday.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 31 hospital patients in the U.S. has at least one HAI on any given day.”

OHA officials said that while there were no reports of illness that had been associated with the infection-control breach, OHA and Providence “are still reviewing and responding to this incident.”

“OHA is currently not sharing any additional information,” officials stated to the Times. “Both OHA and Providence are working with CDC related to this incident.

“While news of this infection-control breach at Providence Medford Medical Center may be worrying for some people, it’s important to know that Oregon’s health care providers employ highly qualified and skilled infection preventionists and laboratory staff who lead the charge to prevent HAIs,” the statement read.

“In addition, local, state and federal public health agencies work closely with health care settings to implement effective infection control practices and equip health care providers with the tools that keep patients, visitors and the public safe.”

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.

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