PeaceHealth to Replace Eugene Emergency Physicians with Atlanta-Based ApolloMD

PeaceHealth Oregon announced it will replace Eugene Emergency Physicians with Atlanta-based ApolloMD as the emergency-medicine contractor at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, PeaceHealth Cottage Grove, and PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence. PeaceHealth said the change takes effect as existing contracts expire this spring and summer, with Cottage Grove’s contract ending May 30, 2026, and RiverBend’s ending June 30, 2026.

PeaceHealth framed the move as an effort to improve emergency-department performance and reduce wait times while remodeling the RiverBend emergency room. An email from PeaceHealth said, “We will partner closely with ApolloMD to maintain stability, strengthen clinical performance and support our caregivers, clinicians and patients.” The system added, “Both PeaceHealth and ApolloMD understand the importance of clinicians who live in and understand the communities they serve,” and said it was “confident this new partnership is the right fit for the future in our emergency departments and communities in Lane County.”

Dr. Kim Ruscher, chief medical officer for PeaceHealth Oregon, told reporters the switch followed a routine procurement process and that PeaceHealth “looked at the current market to weigh its options.” Ruscher said, “With the end of those contracts, it was a natural time to look at emergency medicine and see what options were available in our region. We have a contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians where they will provide care through the end of their contracts, and then ApolloMD would assume care immediately upon that. We are committed to partnering with all of the involved parties to ensure seamless transitions. This decision was not based on cost. This decision represents our investment to improving emergency services.”

The decision will touch the careers of nearly 50 emergency physicians who have staffed PeaceHealth emergency departments for many years, and it has drawn concern from some local clinicians and nurses. Dr. Dave Schwartz, a hospitalist at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, said he fears losing clinicians tied to the community: “Do you want to have a doctor in hospital who cares about you and cares about the community, someone who is going to be accountable to you? Somebody who’s going to see you in the grocery store? Or do you want to be seen by someone who is basically a body that they found to fill a position who doesn’t care about you and doesn’t understand the unique needs of this community?”

PeaceHealth said ApolloMD intends to retain many, if not all, current Eugene Emergency Physicians workers, and that current EEP clinicians can pursue employment with ApolloMD directly. PeaceHealth also said it will have an adequate number of doctors to staff the ERs during the transition and will spend “a lot of time” ensuring a smooth and safe changeover. Pricing details for the contracts were not disclosed because of non-disclosure agreements.

For Lane County patients, the immediate priorities are continuity of care and whether promised reductions in wait times materialize as ApolloMD assumes staffing and RiverBend undergoes remodeling. PeaceHealth leaders say they will support patients, nurses and physicians through the change; impacted clinicians and community members will be watching staffing decisions, rehiring plans, and ER metrics closely in the weeks ahead.