Dr. Winnifred Wong of Fairfield, Calif is set to become the Radiation Oncology Clinic Director at Mid Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles in September.

For two decades, the Celilo Center’s oncology service has been a game changer for locals staring down a fight with cancer. That will end on Feb. 28 as MCMC is stopping oncology treatment due to staffing issues. Locals seeking chemotherapy and immunotherapy will now have to find treatment elsewhere, which will require the sick to travel to Portland, Vancouver, Wash., Yakima, Tri-Cities, or Bend.