FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jana Waterman
VP Marketing/PIO
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center
541.912.6659 | [email protected]
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center Celebrates 70th Anniversary
Providing care to the community since 1955
SPRINGFIELD, OR (December 3, 2025)—McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center (MWMC) celebrates its 70th anniversary of providing care to our community.
Brief History: Back in 1949, people felt a second hospital was needed in a community growing as rapidly as Springfield. Also, the periodic flooding of the Willamette River at times blocked access to Sacred Heart Hospital. With more people moving into the area, soldiers returning from war with special healthcare needs, and burgeoning families, citizens felt the time had come for a Springfield hospital.
A handful of civic-minded Springfield citizens formed the Founders Service Organization to raise money to build a community-owned hospital. By 1953 the organization’s membership had grown to 160 men. Fueled by scrambled egg breakfasts prepared for them each morning by members of the Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary, the men spent four months raising the funds needed to construct the new facility.
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When the doors to the new hospital were opened in 1955, a third of the city’s population turned out to attend the event. The hospital had 35 beds and 40 staff. In seventy years, there have been several expansions and now the medical center has 113 beds, over 900 employees, and 550 medical staff members with representing over 38 specialties. McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center continues to expand services offered to care for the community. |
Media Opportunity:
Wednesday, December 3rd
Noon
Main Lobby of the Medical Center
Brief words by Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and Interim CEO Greg Brentano
Historical photographs
Cake and refreshments
About McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is a 113-bed community hospital accredited by The Joint Commission. In 2018 a $115 million expansion and renovation project enhanced services offered to the community. With Level III Trauma Center accreditation, the emergency department maintains a 30-minutes-or-less service pledge. McKenzie-Willamette offers comprehensive services through McKenzie Heart, Lung and Vascular Center including cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. Key hospital services are obstetrics, general surgery, orthopedics, urology, radiology, rehabilitation, robotic surgery, telemedicine, and wound care. For more information, visit McKweb.com.