PeaceHealth’s decision to end its 35-year partnership with Eugene Emergency Physicians and replace them with Atlanta-based ApolloMD has sent ripples across Oregon’s health care community, highlighting growing concerns around hospital staffing models — including in Cowlitz County, where PeaceHealth operates St. John Medical Center in Longview.

According to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and its network partners, PeaceHealth has chosen not to renew its emergency services contract with the locally owned Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP), which has staffed emergency departments in Springfield, Cottage Grove, and Florence for decades. The transition to ApolloMD — a national staffing company with no prior Oregon experience — is scheduled to take effect on June 30, 2026.

Members of EEP, a physician-owned group, said they learned of the decision in November when PeaceHealth issued a request for proposals for new providers. Dr. Scott Williams, a 22-year EEP physician, and Dr. Charlotte Ransom, a former medical director at PeaceHealth’s now-closed University District Hospital, both expressed frustration that the hospital system appeared to overlook longstanding efforts by local doctors to address emergency room overcrowding and patient wait times. Both told public radio outlets that EEP was being used as a scapegoat for structural problems within the system itself.

PeaceHealth executives said in an internal email that ApolloMD’s selection followed “a comprehensive assessment led by Oregon-based leaders” and described the new partner as a physician-owned organization emphasizing “clinician support and patient satisfaction.” The statement included appreciation for EEP’s decades of service but provided no specific rationale for the change. All 41 of EEP’s emergency physicians and physician assistants have reportedly signed a commitment not to reapply with ApolloMD once the transition takes place.

While the dispute centers on Lane County, its implications may reach PeaceHealth facilities across the Northwest. PeaceHealth, a Catholic nonprofit health system based in Vancouver, Washington, operates hospitals and clinics from Eugene to Ketchikan, including PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview. That facility has itself faced periodic staffing challenges in emergency care and nursing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in emergency department contracting elsewhere in the system could influence how hospital leadership approaches staffing and cost management locally.

Across the United States, the entry of out-of-state management firms into local hospitals has raised questions about accountability and community connection. Critics say that corporate emergency-room contractors can create pressure to cut costs at the expense of local autonomy and physician input, while supporters argue they can streamline operations and recruit more efficiently amid nationwide staff shortages.

Why this matters: Cowlitz County relies on PeaceHealth St. John for primary trauma and emergency care. Any sign of broader restructuring within the PeaceHealth network could eventually affect service levels, patient access, or physician retention locally. Transparency around contract changes and leadership decisions will be essential for maintaining community trust in a system already stretched by workforce turnover and increasing demand for emergency services.