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Seneca Healthcare District previews Lake Almanor Community Hospital, expanded ER and telepsychiatry supports
Summary
Seneca Healthcare District told Plumas County’s Behavioral Health Commission that it is building a roughly 50,000‑square‑foot hospital near Chester with an expanded emergency room, two ORs, and 26 long‑term care beds; telepsychiatry and a designated behavioral health room will support crisis care.
Representatives of the Seneca Healthcare District updated the Plumas County Behavioral Health Commission on plans for a new hospital serving Chester and the Lake Almanor basin, saying construction is on budget and on schedule with a target opening in 2027.
Judy Klein, chief nursing officer, described constraints at the current hospital — a 1952 facility with a two‑bed emergency room — and outlined how the new facility intends to improve care. The new roughly 50,000‑square‑foot campus will include an expanded emergency department (the presenters said the ER will be designed with a dedicated behavioral‑health room featuring ligature‑resistant fixtures and furniture), two operating rooms (one laminar‑airflow suite), eight acute care beds (not licensed for inpatient behavioral‑health stays), and 26 long‑term care beds with room to expand. Seneca representatives said telepsychiatry has already improved handling of 5150 evaluations and sped disposition decisions compared with past practice.
The presenters said the hospital will also feature a heated heliport to support evacuations in severe weather, and that outpatient primary care, a rural health clinic and walk‑in services will share the campus. Seneca noted the hospital will be renamed Lake Almanor Community Hospital to better reflect its regional role.
Commissioners asked about behavioral‑health bed capacity and transfer destinations. Seneca staff said for high‑acuity inpatient placements they typically refer patients to Enloe (Chico) or Reno for higher‑level care; they emphasized that the new ER design and telepsychiatry will reduce time in local emergency rooms and improve safety while county services expand.
Seneca invited the commission to tour the new facility site and to consider holding a future commission meeting in Chester, and commissioners expressed interest in increased outreach to the area.
