Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) opened its new 14-story Vista Pavilion on April 7, 2026, adding 128 beds for high-acuity adult cancer care at its Marquam Hill campus in Portland. The facility is part of a broader hospital expansion project aimed at alleviating Oregon’s hospital capacity crisis and improving access to specialized care.
The Vista Pavilion is a 530,000-square-foot, $650 million tower dedicated to cancer treatment through the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. It connects to existing facilities via three skybridges spanning Campus Drive and is designed to support additional specialty expansions elsewhere on campus by freeing up space in the existing footprint.
According to OHSU President Shereef Elnahal, the opening marks a milestone for the state, greatly expanding Oregon’s overall inpatient hospital capacity. “This expansion will enable people to get their care close to home, instead of traveling to Seattle or the Bay Area for complex specialty care,” Elnahal said in a statement.
Brian Druker, M.D., chief executive officer of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, emphasized the facility’s role in transforming cancer care delivery. “We witness this building as an opportunity to double down on our commitment to transform the way that cancer care is delivered, making OHSU the national leader not only in patient outcomes but also in patient experience,” Druker said.
The Vista Pavilion includes design elements intended to enhance patient experience, such as natural light and views in every room, calming colors, and Oregon landscape art. Inpatient services include stem cell transplants, CAR T cell therapy, complex surgical procedures, cancer intensive care, diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology, and brachytherapy.
The opening of the Vista Pavilion is tied to planned specialty-bed expansions outside the new tower. OHSU says some services will move from Kohler Pavilion to Vista Pavilion, freeing space for 42 new beds for brain care and 18 new beds for heart care. This would bring totals to 72 brain-care beds and 60 heart-care beds.
Separately, an emergency department project will add 17 beds, improve safety for patients and staff, and create separate entrances for adult and pediatric emergency care. Board members first approved the hospital expansion project in October 2021, and construction started in January 2022.
OHSU lists upcoming milestones for the expansion project, including new heart-care space in Kohler Pavilion targeted for completion by August 1, new brain-care space by December 1, and the emergency department expansion targeted for completion in January 2028.
The Vista Pavilion is located at 579 Southwest Campus Drive, Portland, OR 97239, on OHSU’s Marquam Hill campus. Patient parking is available free of charge in Garage V, the closest patient parking facility to the pavilion.
As Oregon’s largest hospital, OHSU continues to expand its capacity to meet growing demand for complex specialty care. The Vista Pavilion represents a significant investment in infrastructure aimed at improving access to advanced treatments for cancer and other serious conditions.
For more information about the Vista Pavilion and OHSU’s hospital expansion project, visit the official OHSU website or the OHSU Foundation’s Vista Pavilion page.
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