Providence Foundations

Funding Priorities

Our donors - thousands of individuals, corporations and foundations - fund leading-edge research and technology and also help us serve patients in financial need.

All donations, large and small, make a difference. Your gifts contribute to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center's excellence.


Cancer support services
Providence Cancer Center and its Ruth J. Spear Breast Center at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center are setting the standards for leading-edge and compassionate care for patients and families. The breast center provides free counselors and patient navigators, as well as a "buddy" program linking newly diagnosed patients with survivors.

Center for Health Care Ethics
Internationally recognized, the Center for Health Care Ethics promotes clinical ethics and palliative care through innovative research and developing exemplary learning practices. Special areas of focus are clinical ethics consultation, palliative care education and cross-cultural competencies at the end of life. The ethics center's work has earned it the honor of hosting an international ethics conference in Portland in 2010. Growing success has led the team to be called upon more and more for support, which has increased the need for staffing, services and foundation funding.

Charity care
The economy continues to struggle and unemployment remains high, but people always need quality, affordable health care. Providence remains committed to its longstanding Mission of serving the poor and vulnerable, especially during times such as these. The community's support for serving people in need helps to keep the Mission alive.

Multiple Sclerosis Center - Providence Brain Institute
Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center is developing the Pacific Northwest MS Registry and Network, which will accurately estimate the number and geographic distribution of MS patients in the Northwest and collect new data to help with innovative research. The MS network aims to provide all patients in the region, no matter where they live, with the best possible neurological therapeutic expertise, diagnostic technology, treatment protocols and educational services.

My Little Waiting Room - drop-in day care
For many parents, a lack of child care can be a major obstacle to getting prompt and professional medical attention. Providence St. Vincent Medical Center is looking to lead the way in addressing this problem. The center will enable more patients to make and keep their appointments, providing greater continuity of care and fewer treatment disruptions. We hope is this pilot site will serve as a model for similar centers at other medical facilities.

Oregon Medical Laser Center
Oregon Medical Laser Center is a biomedical laser research facility located on the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center campus. Philanthropic support allows researchers to continue their innovative, collaborative and multidisciplinary work. Current and planned research includes the optical beacon lumpectomy to offer better outcomes for breast cancer patients, innovative burn therapy, regenerative nerve research and pancreatic cancer treatments.

Providence Brain Institute
Providence Brain Institute seeks to expand its research presence with key projects funded by individual support. Research is critical to identifying reasons for the high incidence of stroke deaths in Oregon and to discovering new and more effective drug and interventional therapies. In addition, Michael Mega, M.D., Ph.D., seeks support for further research to identify those who may be at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Drugs soon may be available to slow the rate of decline in Alzheimer's if the disease is diagnosed early, so this research is urgently needed. And, the Providence Telestroke Program will bring primary stroke center care to Oregon's rural communities. Patients and doctors in community hospitals will link to our center to provide immediate stroke care.

Providence Heart and Vascular Institute
Cardiac and vascular treatments are making rapid advances, and donors' support will help keep Providence Heart and Vascular Institute at the forefront of care. One of these advances, which is entering clinical trials, is a new, minimally invasive surgical procedure that will revolutionize the replacement of failing heart valves. In addition, the Center for the Advanced Treatment Atrial Fibrillation and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center need to expand their services to meet the growing need.

Providence Orthopedic Institute
Muscular and skeletal conditions cost Americans more in money and disability than any other health concern. The new Providence Orthopedic Institute will offer patients a complete line of services, from diagnosis to treatment to rehabilitation. Physicians and researchers will establish a patient registry to examine past outcomes. This information will foster rapid adoption of practices that offer the best results, cost-effectiveness and safety. Staff will be recruited to coordinate all clinical research projects. As well, the institute will establish resident education in orthopedics and fellowships in orthopedic subspecialties.