Press Releases: Northwest
January 25, 2007
Kaiser Permanente to Build New Medical Center in Washington County
PORTLAND, Ore. – Kaiser Permanente is pleased to announce that the Oregon State Department of Human Services has approved its application to build a new 138-bed medical center in the Tanasbourne area of Hillsboro.
The medical center will be the first new Oregon hospital approved in the Portland area in over 30 years. In addition to the patient rooms, the 380,000-square-foot facility will house surgical suites, an intensive care unit, an emergency department, a labor and delivery unit, imaging and laboratory services and a pharmacy. The hospital is scheduled to open in 2011, along with an adjacent specialty care medical office and outpatient surgery center.
"We are happy that Oregon officials agree with us about the need for more hospital beds in Washington County. Our membership there has grown by more than 60 percent in the last decade," said Larry Wheeler, vice president, Communications and External Affairs for Kaiser Permanente's Northwest Region. "We look forward to serving our growing membership, and to providing emergency care to all people in the community."
Wheeler added that Kaiser Permanente is committed to continuing charity care and providing health coverage for the uninsured in Washington County. "We plan to continue our support of agencies serving the poor and vulnerable, such as the Essential Health Clinic, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, Community Action and others."
Representatives from many of these organizations have publicly supported the new medical center as have business and government leaders in Washington County. "We welcome this decision and look forward to offering better access and more local health care choices for the workers and residents of Hillsboro and the neighboring communities," said Jonathan Schlueter, executive director of the Westside Economic Alliance, an organization representing local employers, developers and public agencies. Schlueter was one of a half-dozen people who testified in favor of the project at a public hearing in early December.
In Oregon, any organization that wants to build a new hospital must first submit a certificate of need application to the State Department of Human Services. Kaiser Permanente submitted its application in 2005, and received approval today.
Kaiser Permanente already owns and operates one hospital in the Portland area. The Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, is licensed for 196 beds, is adding a 200,000-square-foot patient care wing.
Kaiser Permanente is America’s leading integrated health care organization. Founded in 1945, the organization serves the health needs of more than 8.6 million people nationwide. More than 485,000 people in Oregon and Southwest Washington receive their health care from Kaiser Permanente.
