Adventist Health Columbia Gorge Signs Agreement With OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

Feb 28

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From Adventist Health Columbia Gorge:

By Jennifer Zimmerlee

The Dalles, Ore. Feb. 28, 2025 — Adventist Health Columbia Gorge and the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute have signed an agreement to provide collaborative cancer care at Celilo Cancer Center in The Dalles, Oregon. This agreement formalizes an ongoing operational relationship between the organizations.

“When someone is dealing with cancer, the last thing they need is to add traveling to a distant city for care,” says Jayme Thompson, Adventist Health Columbia Gorge Executive Administrator. “Cementing our collaboration with KCI ensures rural patients will have a world of cancer care available closer to where they live and work.”

“Rural patients value local care just as much as more urban communities,” says Mayumi Fukui, Senior Vice President for Strategic Oncology Integration at OHSU Health. “We are excited to collaborate with Celilo Cancer Center to strengthen the future of cancer care for patients in the Columbia River Gorge.”

“The Knight Cancer Institute’s vision to eliminate the burden of cancer includes a commitment to team-based approaches for providing individualized care. We welcome opportunities to make it easier for more Oregonians to access the care they need most in their community,” explains Brandon Hayes-Lattin, MD, Hematology and Medical Oncology Medical Director at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

Under the agreement, the Celilo program will be governed by a board jointly representing OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and Adventist Health Columbia Gorge. In addition to continuing and expanding Celilo’s medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgery programs, the partnership increases opportunities for Columbia Gorge patients to access clinical trials.

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About Adventist Health Columbia Gorge: Founded in 1901, Adventist Health Columbia Gorge has evolved into a premier network of healthcare serving The Dalles, Oregon, and communities throughout the greater Columbia Gorge. Part of Adventist Health, a faith-based, nonprofit health system spanning the West Coast and Hawaii, we are transforming the healthcare experience with an innovative and whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing to support community well-being.

About OHSU Knight Cancer Institute: Driven by a single mission to end cancer as we know it, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is a team of hundreds of doctors, nurses, scientists and other professionals who have earned a national reputation for excellence. Every year, this team treats about 6,000 patients and conducts about 1,400 research projects, including more than 400 clinical trials.