A hospital is a living, breathing entity — where health, wellness, compassion, sickness, worry, life and death collide on a daily basis. To have a trusted health partner by your side, whether it’s during a yearly physical exam, mental health crisis or a routine blood draw, creates a feeling of safety and builds connection.

Asante’s roots are deeply planted in Southern Oregon, and they have been part of the community since the early 1900s. They began as a small, grassroots community hospital and bloomed into a nationally-recognized healthcare system with over 300,000 patient visits in 2022. With each passing year, they lead the charge in transforming healthcare, starting at the local level.

A foundation of care

Asante has three hospitals — Medford’s Rogue Regional Medical Center, Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass and Ashland Community Hospital — and services nine counties throughout Southern Oregon and northern California, according to Andrea Reeder, Vice President and Executive Director of the Asante Foundation.

“Our goal is to reshape and improve the overall health of our community,” said Reeder.

Even with three hospitals and a host of other services and care centers, Asante is considered a small health system compared to others across the United States.

However, Asante continues to expand and offer more services to its patients and the community, with multiple efforts and programs in the works. Asante Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the hospital — collaborates with the community on various projects which support local healthcare.

Currently, the Asante Foundation is in the midst of a large and ambitious campaign — a $50 million effort to support expansion across the health system, said Reeder.

The focal point of the campaign is the new 323,595 square-foot patient pavilion being built at the Rogue Regional Medical Center campus, which is projected to open in 2024. It will house several services, including the Olsrud Family Women’s and Children’s Hospital, cardiac care, advanced surgical services and critical care.

The new pavilion will have a high concentration of expertise and related resources centered around specific areas of medicine, offering even more excellent treatment options to people in the community.

Asante is also known for the new Mary and Dick Heimann Cancer Center, which has brought comprehensive cancer services under one roof to dramatically increase ease of access and enhance care for people with cancer, and their families. The cancer research program housed there has a goal of increasing access to leading edge treatments for patients from the large, rural region Asante serves.

A leader in behavioral health services

Providing better treatments for mental health has been an ongoing battle across the nation, but the topic was thrust onto the world stage during the pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people in the world will be affected by mental disorders at some point during their lives.

Mental health services are crucial to the community, as Oregon has the highest rate of mental illness of any state, according to the Oregon Chapter of The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Additionally, Asante has the only behavioral health unit based in a hospital from Sacramento to Eugene, said Reeder.

“Asante is addressing a critical need in our region,” said Reeder. “When someone with a mental illness is in crisis, we are the only place they can come to locally for help.”

The in-patient services at Asante’s Behavioral Health Unit offer many types of medications and therapies — including pet, art and occupational therapies — to help people who have a mental illness or are in crisis.

When someone with a mental illness experiences a new trauma or goes into crisis — which could be triggered even if they are taking medication and managing their symptoms — they require a safe environment with therapies and treatments to return to a stable condition. Asante’s behavioral health unit provides a secure space for people to recover and receive treatment.

However, the expansion of these services would not have happened without community support, which allowed Asante to renovate part of the hospital and make a new unit to increase the number of beds.

It starts with community

Community partnerships and support have helped Asante expand its services, transform the delivery of healthcare and help a larger number of people.

Since 2018, Asante has had a strong partnership with Southern Oregon Subaru, primarily as a sponsor for the Oregon Wine Experience (OWE). This annual event benefits the Children’s Miracle Network and other health care programs at Asante. 100% of the event’s proceeds go toward charity.

Southern Oregon Subaru is a traditional cash sponsor for OWE, but also an in-kind donor.

“Southern Oregon Subaru is always so thoughtful and purposeful with their time. Each year, we meet with them to discuss their participation and involvement. They’ve been a blessing to our work,” said Reeder.

Additionally, every OWE sponsor has the power to direct their donations to a specific area or cause.

Southern Oregon Subaru often puts their sponsorship dollars toward Asante’s behavioral health services, explained Reeder.

Thanks to partnerships from Southern Oregon Subaru and other philanthropic-minded businesses and individuals, Asante is able to give back to the community in myriad ways.

Hospitals are an essential part of the community. Every day, they see people at their best and worst, and walk alongside them through their medical journies.

From the doctors, nurses and technicians who work tirelessly to help their patients, to the new mothers rushing in with a sick baby or a patient receiving their first chemo treatment, Asante remains a trus