A $1.1 billion pledge will build Oregon’s first women’s hospital

Oregon is set to gain its first hospital dedicated to women’s health after Phil and Penny Knight pledged $1.1 billion to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Providence Heart Institute. The commitment will be distributed over 10 years, with the first funds arriving in 2026, according to Providence.

Part of the gift will finance a new tower on St. Vincent’s campus in Washington County. Plans bring gynecology, pregnancy, labor and delivery, menopause and cardiac care together, rather than requiring patients to navigate separate specialties. An updated neonatal intensive care unit will replace its shared-room layout with private rooms for families. Providence says its maternity and neonatal units date from the 1990s.

The pledge will also support cardiovascular care across Providence hospitals in Oregon, including new treatments, diagnostic and prevention tools, clinical trials, technology and physician recruitment. Some funding is intended for patient support that insurance does not cover. The heart institute currently treats about 63,000 people from around the Northwest.

The pledge builds on more than $200 million the couple previously gave to the institute, support that helped establish a heart transplant program. It arrives as Oregon has lost maternity wards in several communities and hospitals are seeing more pregnancies complicated by chronic health conditions. The new hospital cannot resolve those pressures alone, but it gives Providence the means to modernize facilities and coordinate care across different stages of life.