St. Charles Health System announced on April 15 the opening of a new $65 million, two-story cancer treatment center in Redmond, expanding care options for patients in north Central Oregon.
The facility is intended to make cancer care more accessible for rural residents who previously had to travel to Bend for certain treatments. The new center offers radiation, chemotherapy, surgery and other services that were not available at the previous Redmond clinic.
Mari Shay, administrative director of cancer services for St. Charles, said transportation has been a significant barrier for many patients. “Transportation is probably the biggest barrier that we see in our patient population here, because of the rural aspect that we support,” Shay said in an interview with The Source Weekly. “We do spend a lot of time working with those outer communities to get their patients here. But some patients, it’s enough of a barrier that we unfortunately see patients forego treatment because they just can’t logistically make it work.” Shay also explained that the location was chosen due to its proximity to other medical facilities and accessibility along U.S. Highway 97.
The new facility spans 53,000 square feet—nine times larger than its predecessor—and can serve up to 300 patients daily. It features 36 exam rooms and a large chemotherapy infusion room with multiple bays and private spaces for patient comfort.
Staffing concerns have been raised by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), which represents about 1,200 nurses at St. Charles Bend. Kevin Mealy, spokesperson for ONA, said via email: “Shuffling nurses from one hospital to another isn’t a staffing solution—it just shifts the problem.” Alandra Johnson from St. Charles responded that staff from both Bend and Redmond will be used at the new center and assured it would be fully staffed: “We increased staffing over the summer in response to increased patient need and our staffing is continually adjusted to ensure safe staffing and patient care,” Johnson said.
Notable technology at the facility includes high-dose brachytherapy equipment and a True Beam Linear Accelerator designed for targeted tumor treatments using photon or electron beams.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for April 16 at 4 p.m., offering tours of the facility located at 180 NW Kingwood Ave., Redmond.
