‘It really is a privilege to be on this project’: St. Charles breaks ground on 53,000-square-foot Redmond Cancer Center

(Update: Adding video, comments from attendees, staff )

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Seeking cancer treatment for many Central Oregonians will get easier in the future, with a major new facility coming to Redmond.

Cancer survivors, local leaders and caregivers from St. Charles celebrated a milestone Wednesday at the groundbreaking for the new St. Charles Cancer Center at NW Canal Boulevard and Kingwood Avenue.

The new Redmond facility would have eliminated the commute for treatment for Prineville resident Dustie Munsey, who's now in remission.

"I traveled from Prineville," Munsey said. "I work in Madras, and then after work I would travel to Bend for my radiation treatment daily."

St. Charles Cancer Center Senior Medical Director Dr. Linyee Chang said, "We look to see this cancer center as a way for us to expand on cancer care."

 St. Charles will also use the facility to educate people about cancer. 

 Board member Jon Bullock said, "One of the dilemmas we have is that because people have to travel so far, it's hard to do the educational component that we can get out to people before cancer hits."

The new two-story facility will be approximately nine times the size of the current cancer center in Redmond. The center right now only offers chemotherapy services because of space limitations.   

A leading construction and development firm, Skanska, will build the two-story, 53,000-square-foot facility.

The contractor's superintendent, Jacob Struck, said, "I have a lot of family members and friends that have gone through cancer treatment, and it really is a privilege to be on this project."

It will have space for patients to receive chemotherapy infusions, surgery and radiation, serving 300 patients a day with 36 exam rooms. 

Skanska Senior Project Manager Chad Schlottmann said, "Being a partner with St. Charles for over 20 years, and it's just amazing to be able to help the community member like that on this amazing project."

Construction of the new Redmond facility starts July 17th. The center is expected to be finished by early 2026. 

Here is the St. Charles news release:

Community members joined cancer survivors, local leaders, patients and caregivers from St. Charles to celebrate Wednesday's groundbreaking for the new Cancer Center in Redmond on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone for our new Cancer Center, which shows our commitment to providing world class care to cancer patients throughout the region,” said Dr. Steve Gordon, President and CEO for St. Charles. “This new facility will have a tremendous positive impact on our community, as it will expand access and services to Redmond and surrounding communities, serving 300 or more cancer patients every day.”

In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, attendees were able to walk the footprint of the new 53,000-square-foot building and learn about the services provided, including radiation oncology, chemotherapy infusion, surgical oncology, expanded support services and much more. Those in attendance also had the opportunity to contribute to an art display that will be part of the new center.

St. Charles board member and longtime Redmond resident Jon Bullock says this cancer center is a positive development not just for cancer patients and their families, but for Redmond overall.

“We have the chance to be a special place in the world, where families can get the compassionate care they need at the most difficult time of their life. Our community can be there to take care of them,” said Bullock. “This could be a catalyst to positively impact the culture of Redmond forever. I’m so excited about it and look forward to kicking off the celebration together.”

More about the new Cancer Center in Redmond

The new two-story facility will be approximately nine times the size of the current Cancer Center in Redmond. It will include 36 exam rooms. The facility will include a 5,000 square-foot chemotherapy infusion room with 24 infusion chairs. It will also include world class technology including a high-dose brachytherapy suite (brachytherapy delivers localized cancer treatment through internal radiation) and a True Beam Linear Accelerator (which uses photon or electron beams to target and treat cancerous tumors). 

About St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, nonprofit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,500 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.