Colleen Casey, Ph.D., ANP, has been selected as medical director for Providence Senior Health in Oregon and has been named the Bain-Krantz Chair of Geriatrics. She and her team of geriatric experts are leading age-friendly strategies and initiatives to support our growing older adult population.

One of the best ways to cure advanced cancer is to tailor each patient’s therapy to their specific tumor.

Thanks to an innovative wellness pilot program funded by Providence Portland Medical Foundation, hospitalists at Providence Portland Medical Center experienced a significant decrease in stress and burnout rate, even during one of the worst COVID surges. 

The Netzorgs were longtime Milwaukie residents with hearts for helping others.

Leonard was a lawyer who regularly provided pro bono legal services. Bernice was an active volunteer at the Ledding Library where she lovingly repaired book bindings. Together they gifted a portion of their estate to the Providence Milwaukie Hospital Foundation.

On Halloween 2020, Les Wallace was given an unforgettable treat. After spending six weeks in the hospital, he learned he would be getting a new heart. 

Kathryn Smith was enjoying a successful 25-year career at Nike, traveling the world and making lots of friends along the way, when she was diagnosed with cancer. 

New technologies at the Jubitz Family Center for Excellence in Coronary Intervention are revolutionizing care of coronary artery disease for patients like Jamie McParland. 

Bill Schonely had a special passion for the children and the care they received at Providence Child Center and the Center for Medically Fragile Children. 

Denise Molendyk has fought cancer on every front. She cared for her first husband until he passed away from complications of glioblastoma—a rare and fast-growing brain tumor.

The Green Team at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center has facilitated several operational improvements to reduce waste and become carbon negative by 2030.

Busy Bees member Marlys Carter knows the pain of losing a loved one. She joined the group in 2005 after her husband passed away. Busy Bees allowed Marlys to connect with others, share her grief and learn the creative outlet of quilting.

Providence Oregon now has a team of dedicated, specialized forensic nurse examiners that works with patients who seek help during one of the most vulnerable times of their lives.

Thanks to Providence Foundations of Oregon and other Providence partners, college students from underserved communities are being mentored and supported as they apply to medical school. 

When Thomas Joseph became a member of the Providence Milwaukie Foundation Board in 1995, he planned to stay no more than 10 years. Now 27 years later, he still is on the board and has made plans to support the hospital long into the future.  

Kyle, husband and father of two young boys, discovered he had thymoma, which is cancer of the thymus. An aggressive tumor in his chest was nearly the size of a grapefruit.

Nearly 20,000 runners and walkers in the 40th year of Providence Hood to Coast Relay raised more than $650,000 to support cancer research at Providence Cancer Institute. Community support of this event helps Providence scientists discover new innovations in treating cancer.

A patient's care team must walk a tightrope to effectively treat the brain tumor without causing irreparable damage to the surrounding tissue. Cancer patients are typically offered a treatment plan that includes a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and novel clinical trial options that include immunotherapy—harnessing the body’s own immune system to attack the tumor.

In 2005 David Heller, a star on his high school basketball team, went to bed and never woke up. The 17-year-old was struck down in his sleep by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition caused by abnormal genes affecting the heart muscle. Last month a foundation created by his parents announced a gift to the heart institute that will help others with HCM through genetic counseling and research.

Providence Newberg Health Foundation recently received a $92,000 grant from the Austin Family Foundation to support the hospital’s Out of the Cold program for vulnerable and medically fragile patients served by Providence.

When a Hillsboro man learned he had a noncancerous tumor in his jaw, he turned to Providence Cancer Institute for help. Doctors performed the innovative “Jaw in a Day” surgery that uses the leg bone to shape a new jaw.

Kristina Young, M.D., Ph. D., Mark Whiteford, M.D., and their colleagues recently shared the exciting results of a clinical trial at Providence Cancer Institute for patients with locally advanced colorectal cancer. Specializing in radiation oncology, Dr. Young is assistant member at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute as well as a member of The Oregon Clinic.

Thanks to generous donor support, Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center is now equipped with Icometrix—a tool that uses artificial intelligence to identify microscopic disease progression in patients with MS. 

Providence Cancer Institute is among a handful of centers in the world capable of developing a type of cancer immunotherapy called adoptive cell therapy.

More than 400 bike helmets found grateful new owners in the Hood River community in 2021. The helmet giveaway is part of the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough program led by Rhonda Fischer, RN, BSN, CEN, trauma nurse coordinator.

“I appreciate so much having a safe place to stay during my husband’s open heart surgery. A wonderful kindness by all the staff. God bless and keep you.” – Debi

When Renate was pregnant with her son, Gabriel, she received the devastating news that his brain might not develop and he would most likely live with severe impairment.

For people who need to be discharged from the hospital but don’t have stable housing to return to, Project Turnkey aims to provide a solution.

Last year, caregivers in the medical/surgery unit at Providence Milwaukie took vital sign measurements over 36,600 times. Unfortunately, they had to use mobile units that often took several minutes to locate and then move to a patient’s room.

When an emergency 48-bed unit opened in early 2022 at Providence Portland Medical Center, it was the result of timely pre-planning, generous Providence donors and a partnership with Oregon Health Authority. 

To support Providence providers (doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners), the Providence Medical Staff Coaching Initiative began in 2021. The program is funded in part by donations to Providence Portland Medical Foundation. 

“The hospital is very dear to me, and our family has strong ties to it,” she says. Faith, family and community are what keeps Sheri positive and strong. 

"We really appreciate donor support – your generous donations give us the opportunity to provide the environment and the tools we need to increase coping, self-regulation, body awareness and understanding of the mind-body connection."

The Providence Immediate Care - Gateway clinic is close to a homeless camp, so caregivers there keep a stash of socks to give to patients in need. When the pandemic hit, the stock of socks was quickly depleted.

Dinah Nicholson never imagined she was at risk for a stroke. But in May 2021, she had a mini-stroke – a transient ischemic attack (TIA) – and was taken to the emergency department at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. 

Salem resident Sharon Petersen, 78, is all too familiar with severe heart disease. She has had two triple bypasses and several other cardiac procedures. Her mother, grandmother and adult daughter all died of heart disease. 

Eric Tran, Ph.D., is on a mission. A research scientist at Providence Cancer Institute, he is taking leading-edge cancer immunotherapy research and treatment – which Providence has pioneered for nearly 30 years – to the next level.

In 2021, thanks to donor support, five scholarships were awarded to Providence Seaside Hospital caregivers.  The scholarships are used for tuition or other direct education expenses. 

“We’re able to offer a fuller spectrum of care,” said Melissa Sayyah, clinic manager. “Before our offerings were much more limited, and patients would have to go to Providence St. Vincent for many services.”

Falls are the leading cause of injury for individuals over the age of 65, and a fall can initiate a spiral of decline. The pandemic has made the situation worse with a reduction in physical activity. More seniors than ever are at risk of falling.

Physical therapy at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center now includes real-life terrain that people may encounter when they leave the center. Boy Scouts of local Troop 485 partnered with Providence Benedictine Foundation to give back.

Katie Brewington credits the Providence Seaside emergency department with saving her life. “I’m deeply grateful,” she said. “They provided me with the best care I have ever experienced.”

Howard "H" White marvels that the generosity of Phil and Penny Knight allowed him to receive a new heart close to home.

Born into a once-in-a-hundred-year pandemic, 7-month-old Gabriel is off to a fast start. “He’s moving quicker through babyhood than we would like him to,” said his mother Julia Dwyer.

Thanks to your support, the doctors in the Family Medicine Residency Program have a new training model that simulates the birth process.

In March 2020, COVID-19 created chaos. Thanks to your generosity, the Providence Benedictine team purchased electronic tablets to connect patients and residents with their families and friends.

Until cancer took her in 2007, Andrean Gerber lived life to its fullest. A lifelong artist, after receiving her diagnosis in 2000, she spent the next seven years creating colorful collages using images cut from magazines.

To help these caregivers and the patients they serve, last year Providence Community Health Foundation provided twelve health care education scholarships totaling $25,000.

Basecamp, the donor-supported center for heart disease prevention and wellness, is on the beat with the Sherwood Police Department to reduce heart disease among police officers. Heart attacks are a leading cause of death among law enforcement.

The side effects of cancer treatment can wreak havoc on a person’s diet. Side effects, such as loss of appetite, sore mouth or throat, dry mouth, nausea, abdominal pain, etc., can impair a patient’s nutritional intake.

Renee Tolleshaug knew she needed to have a glossy red patch that suddenly appeared on her shin looked at. A biopsy of the spot returned a diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma.

Thanks to your generosity, in 2017 we brought Tomosynthesis (Tomo) or 3D mammography to Providence Seaside Hospital.

When Amy Fisk, a medical assistant at Providence Medical Group-Medford Neurology, left her apartment on Sept. 8, 2020, she thought she would be back in a few days.  That was before the Almeda fire destroyed over 2,400 residential structures, including houses, apartment buildings, mobile and manufactured homes.

The COVID-19 outbreak accelerated the need for expanded critical care space at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Thanks to generous donors, a brand new intensive care unit on the lower level of the hospital opened in December.

Camp Erin is a free, weekend-long camp for kids who have experienced the death of a family member, friend or other significant person.

“It’s most important to understand with is important to the patient – what do they value, what gives them quality of life,” explained Dr. Hodges. “Then I can tailor her care to reflect those values and provide the care she wants.”

Donors purchased a new car for Community Connections, a service that offers free rides to medical appointments for county residents who have limited options for transportation.

The Rural Track Residency Program trains family physicians to care for people living in rural and underserved areas.

The young patient didn’t speak for days. But when Maggie, a visiting Golden Retriever, greeted the stuffed dog clutched in her arms, she burst out laughing and healing began.

April was at her lowest. She had been through five surgeries for severe endometriosis and her anxiety and depression were becoming overwhelming. She asked her doctor where to get help.

The nearly completed $160,000 kitchen and dining enhancement project at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center means more than just a better way to prepare and serve food.