The BuildCMH Expansion Project is the culmination of a long-term strategic growth plan adopted by the hospital’s Board of Trustees. The Board is made up of dedicated volunteer community members who establish the vision and mission of the organization.

There are three primary reasons why this expansion is necessary:

1. The age of the current facility: The current hospital was state-of-the-art when it opened in 1977. It’s now nearly 50 years old. While it has saved many lives and served the community well, critical infrastructure is beginning to fail or is in need of major upgrades. The current facility was also constructed in an era where health care was primarily delivered in an inpatient setting, and patient amenities were not considered at all. Health care is much different today — roughly 80% of CMH’s care is delivered on an outpatient basis, patient privacy is paramount, and a more holistic approach toward health and wellness is necessary.
2. Growth: Over the past decade, CMH and OHSU have brought many new providers and specialties to the region. During this time, the number of CMH caregivers has increased from 400 to more than 900. CMH has simply outgrown the current facility and needs additional space to continue to serve the community.
3. Resiliency: There are significant risks living near the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The North Coast is susceptible to possible earthquakes and tsunamis. The current facility was constructed entirely out of wood and is not built on a foundation that could withstand a major natural disaster. CMH’s hospital is a critical need facility and must remain operational during a catastrophe. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the construction, there is not a cost-effective way to retrofit or upgrade the present facility.

After significant due diligence, including a long-range master campus planning engagement with ZGF Architects, the CMH Board determined the best location for the expansion facility is between the Professional Office Building 1 and the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative. The expansion facility will be attached to the existing hospital near the current West Lobby.

The CMH Board is committed to building a state-of-the-art facility that will be able to withstand a major earthquake and tsunami. CMH hired multiple experts to assist in studying and designing a resilient structure. We completed due diligence on landslide risks with GRI (Geotechnical Resources, Inc.), which resulted in shifting the entire footprint of the new facility to the northwest. We also partnered with some of the best consultants in the Pacific Northwest, including Degenkolb Engineers and the University of Washington, to study the impacts of earthquakes and potential tsunamis on the building site.

This facility will keep all critical infrastructure (generators, water storage, IT components, helipad) on the roof, above any potential flooding. Any service located on the first floor will have the ability to move to the second floor. The new facility will also have a tsunami safe refuge area (TVERS) for CMH caregivers, patients and community members, with evacuation possible from the roof. CMH hopes this facility will be a model for other coastal hospitals.

CMH engaged regional Emergency Management leadership and some of the best consultants in the Pacific Northwest, in addition to a strong team of experienced geotechnical and civil engineers, to understand the risks on the CMH campus.

Along with our partners, we’ve analyzed resiliency for soil liquefaction, landslides, seismic and tsunami events. We’ve also studied parking and traffic impacts with the City of Astoria and Kittleson traffic engineers.

Groundbreaking occurred in October 2024. There are three years of planned construction to complete Phase 1 (expansion) and an additional year of construction to complete Phase 2 (remodel/demolition of existing facility). 

Phase 1 is estimated to be completed in late 2027, with Phase 2 completed in late 2028.

The project budget is $300 million. CMH is an independent, private, not-for-profit hospital that receives zero taxpayer dollars from our community. Funding for the project is coming from four primary sources: new debt, cash reserves, philanthropy and grants. No local tax dollars are being used to build the hospital expansion.

The CMH Foundation is running a capital campaign to raise $10 million by the end of 2026. We are honored to have the support of our community and several philanthropic foundations.

And, we are very grateful for the support of the State of Oregon, which is helping fund the project's resiliency goals with a budget allocation of $6 million. 

The design for the expansion follows CMH’s commitment to the Planetree philosophy of person-centered care. Like the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative and the CMH Health & Wellness Pavilion, the expansion project reflects the region’s architecture and beauty, emphasizing natural light, views and efficiency in the delivery of care.

The planned design includes total new construction of approximately 180,000 square feet, including a critically needed expansion of the CMH Emergency Department. Other expanded areas include additional operating rooms, larger patient rooms, lab draw, radiology services, a new chapel, dedicated caregiver respite areas, and dining facilities.

The size of the facility will help us preserve patient dignity and privacy by creating private corridors, private bathrooms for inpatients, and more space in registration areas. There also will be improved parking, public and waiting areas for family members.

The expansion includes five floors — three floors providing patient care, one floor housing resiliency measures, an Emergency Operations Center and mechanical technology, and a top floor including the helipad, generators and chillers. 

The overall height of the building will be about 90'. 

The Board of Trustees completed significant due diligence on the appropriate number of beds for CMH. We believe having 25 beds meets the inpatient need for the area into the future.

It’s important to note that health care has overwhelmingly shifted to more of an outpatient care model. The new facility will be designed in a manner to account for this shift, including many additional Emergency and Same Day Surgery rooms for this quicker pace of care and recovery. We are also adding four dedicated Observation beds (beds that can house patients for up to 48 hours) to free up the 25 inpatient beds for those needing to stay longer.

We are tripling the hospital's footprint, while remaining a 25-bed hospital. 

This expansion will allow CMH to continue to grow, bringing new services and state-of-the-art technology and equipment to the community. The CMH Board is focused on providing those specialties that are appropriate for a rural facility to offer and keeping patients from having to travel out of the local area for care. Some services we plan on adding include:

• Robotic surgery
• Dedicated interventional radiology suite
• Additional telemedicine services with OHSU
• Increased mammography services
• Dedicated imaging equipment in the Emergency Department
• Increased access to advanced imaging with new CT and MRI machines
• Safer Rooms in the Emergency Department that will allow caregivers to accommodate a broader spectrum of patient types and acuity levels
• Dedicated observation unit
• Beautiful, new OB suites, with private labor tubs in each room
• Expanded access to surgery and outpatient procedures

Throughout the planning process, CMH sought feedback from frontline caregivers, providers, the Person-Centered Care Steering Committee, CMH Patient Family Advisory Council, leadership, community members and strategic partners, such as Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). We are striving to keep the community informed and involved as the project moves forward.

CMH offers competitive wages and benefits, and one of its operational goals is to remain the best place to work in our area. Since 2009, CMH has added more than 400 area jobs. We anticipate the expansion will initially add 50 new jobs when it opens. As we add more providers and services, more jobs will be created.

We have an amazing, dedicated group of providers, caregivers, volunteers, Board members and leaders at CMH who provide outstanding care to the community. We have strategically planned for this expansion for many years. Our unique partnership with OHSU, growth in services and financial stability have created the foundation necessary for this expansion.

OHSU is our strategic partner and has been involved throughout the planning process. Together, we are building upon our successful, 15+ year relationship.

With the expansion project, there will be nothing structurally different about our collaboration with OHSU from today. CMH will remain a community-led, independent organization.

All requests from the media should be directed to Sarah Bello, CMH director of communications. She can be reached at 503.338.4504 or sbello@columbiamemorial.org.