Klamath Falls, Ore. – A 50 million dollar fundraising campaign is now underway to build a new health care and training facility in Klamath Falls.
Sky Lakes Medical Center President and C.E.O. Paul Stewart unveiled the plans at a press conference on Wednesday…
“The announcement is of a collaborative venture between Sky Lakes Medical Center, O.H.S.U., and Oregon Tech to develop a new model of clinical delivery with education wrapped into it.”
The 4-story building would be located across the parking lot from Sky Lakes, next to Cascades East.
“There will be new training programs here.” Notes Oregon Health & Science University President Joe Robertson. “And probably the thing that I’m most excited about, it will be used in ways that we cannot yet imagine.”
Paul Stewart of Sky Lakes adds that a 50 million dollar fundraising effort is now underway…
“Sky Lakes Medical Center is pleased to kick off that fundraising campaign with a commitment of 15 million dollars.”
Stewart adds that work on a parking garage could begin within the next year, followed by construction of the health care building…
“Best case scenario, in my mind, i we would break ground physically on the building in the summer of 2018.”
Backers say the project will consolidate clinics, reducing patient wait times, generate economic development, and aid O.H.S.U. in training more health care professionals.
Joyce Hollander-Rodriguez serves as Program Director for the Cascades East Family Medicine Residency, and regional associate dean for O.H.S.U.’s Campus for Rural Health – Klamath: “When you look around Klamath Falls, we see more than half of the primary care physicians in this community are graduates of this program.”
O.H.S.U’s Joe Robertson adds that he’s excited about the project…
“It’s going to attract national attention, because nobody’s doing what we’re going to do here.”
Discussions on the project began last fall.
O.H.S.U. has dedicated 5 million dollars to help sustain training programs at the new facility.
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