New chapel, garden spaces at Salem Hospital provide more space for waiting families

The busiest emergency department on the West Coast had a problem: its waiting room couldn’t accommodate all the family members, friends and loved ones coming in alongside patients.

Over 99,000 patients visited the Salem Hospital Emergency Department in 2021, according to the hospital. That’s an average of 272 people a day. Often, the heavy traffic led to guests sitting on the floor in the absence of available chairs.

In one case, a hospital volunteer…