Our History 

Nestled near the Cascade Mountains in rural southeastern Oregon, Sky Lakes Medical Center enjoys a reputation of providing high-quality healthcare with sincerity and compassion.

It’s known for its dedicated, community-minded staff that help their neighbors with a combination of kindness and modern technology.

The community-owned medical center serves the healthcare needs of people in some 10,000 square miles in Oregon and northern California.

We are proud of the center’s roots that go back to the late 1950s when a citizen task force outlined the future healthcare needs of the region and advocated building what is now Sky Lakes Medical Center.

A successful fund drive resulted in the construction of the community hospital. Read "The recollections of the original hospital's campaign chair."  The hospital opened in October 1965 and achieved national accreditation in just three years. The facility maintained full Joint Commission accreditation until it was accredited by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in 2011..

The facility’s name was changed in the mid-1970s to honor the contributions of long-time area businessman Merle West.

People in the region continue to support the medical center and its mission of “reducing the burden of illness, injury and disability, and to improve the health, self-reliance and well-being of the people we serve.”

Donations from school children and families, from small businesses and large corporations helped build both our Cancer Treatment Center and the Family Birth Center.

The Cancer Treatment Center opened in 1990 and quickly outgrew its space. Many more community contributions helped double its size four years later and add another 8,000 square feet in 2003. The most recent expansion added a second linear accelerator with the latest technology for radiation treatment of some types of cancer.

The Cancer Treatment Center participates in national trials of the latest types of treatments and the new second floor houses a larger area for chemical (medical) oncology.

Dedicated to the family-centered philosophy of care, the Family Birth Center features 12 spacious private rooms that become home for the new family in that very special time.

The 15,000-square-foot birth center opened in 1998 in response to the changing needs of the community. It also features modern technology combined with thoughtful design touches such as expansive windows that allow natural light to wash over the nurses’ station, nursery, and family areas.

Sky Lakes Medical Center departments have long prided themselves on being at the leading edge of technology. Our Diagnostic Imaging Department, for instance, features fully digital MR, CT, PET, X-ray, nuclear medicine and 3-D ultrasound scans. The medical center has upgraded major components in the department on three- to five-year cycles since the early 1980s.

The diagnostic images are shared among providers using PACS – Picture Archiving and Communications System – which makes film images obsolete. The new-generation equipment enhances patient care by helping physicians be more efficient. Sky Lakes Medical Center was among the first community hospitals in the Northwest to utilize the new technology.

Sky Lakes Medical Center was the first hospital on the West Coast to employ technology that allows physicians to access vital patient information using off-the-shelf hand-held digital devices.

The medical center became a teaching hospital in the mid-1990s when the Cascades East Family Practice Residency Program opened. The 18 physicians who are in the three-year residency program help meet the medical needs of people throughout the region. Most of the graduates now practice medicine in rural settings throughout the United States.

The medical center continues to grow to meet community healthcare needs. Construction was completed May 2007 on a $40 million 100,000-square-foot modernization of inpatient care areas. The expasion increases the number of private rooms, enhances the center’s healing environment and will complements medicine’s increasingly holistic approach to patient care. The design’s features include a three-story glass-wall atrium at the front entrance, healing gardens and meditative spaces for staff and visitors, and special accommodations for families.

Sky Lakes Medical Center, its employees, volunteers, and medical staff are partners with the community in social and economic issues as well as healthcare matters. We consider the medical center to be a vital asset that stands ready to help make the communities we serve better places to live and to raise families.