Adventist Health Portland
A 302-bed nonprofit hospital and regional health-care network serving the east side of the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Adventist Health Portland is a nonprofit hospital and health-care organization in Portland, Oregon, operating within the Adventist Health system. The institution traces its origins to 1893, when physician Lewis Belknap arrived in Portland after studying at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. With assistance from an Adventist minister, Belknap established a small medical practice and six-patient facility on East Twelfth Street with his wife. The operation soon moved into the Reed Mansion, where it expanded to approximately 20 beds and added a surgical ward, offices, kitchen, dining facilities, treatment rooms, and living quarters for nurses. In 1896, the Seventh-day Adventist Church acquired the facility. Under church ownership, the organization broadened its role beyond patient care by introducing a two-year nursing program and establishing a health-food company in 1897. Continued growth led to another relocation in 1902, this time to the base of Mount Tabor. The new four-story wooden building accommodated about 75 patients and benefited from access to a nearby railway station. William Holden, M.D., joined the staff in 1903 and became medical director. He remained in that role until his death in 1955. During his tenure, the institution shifted from a primarily long-term-care and sanitarium model toward a more conventional medical and surgical hospital. Later expansion during the 1950s and 1960s added programs in medical technology, radiological technology, and practical nursing, as well as a pediatrics department. By the middle of the 1960s, the hospital again required a larger site. Its board pursued a major expansion with public fundraising, federal grants, and support from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A proposed development at the former Glendover Golf Course became controversial: the plan envisioned reserving part of the property for the hospital while redeveloping the remaining land as a championship golf course and driving range. The county ultimately repurchased the property, and the hospital acquired a different site on Southeast Market Street. Known for many years as Portland Adventist Medical Center and later Adventist Medical Center, the organization became Adventist Health Portland. Its reported service footprint includes a 302-bed hospital, a 32-bed emergency department, 27 clinics, urgent-care services, home care, and hospice care. The organization serves residents on the eastern side of the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area, a population estimated in the source material at roughly 900,000 people, and has been described as employing more than 2,300 staff members. It also functions as the primary teaching hospital for the Walla Walla University nursing program. The hospital has received external patient-safety recognition, including a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of B from spring 2012 through spring 2013 and grades of A from fall 2013 through spring 2015.
History
The institution that is now Adventist Health Portland began in 1893, when Lewis Belknap, M.D., came to Portland, Oregon, after studying at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. Belknap intended to establish a similar health institution on the West Coast. After arriving in Portland with few resources, he received help from an Adventist minister, Starbuck, who provided the first month's rent for a small house. Belknap and his wife operated a six-patient medical facility on East Twelfth Street. The operation soon moved to the Reed Mansion. The larger premises provided around 20 patient beds, a surgical ward, offices, a kitchen, and a dining room. The former stable was adapted into treatment rooms and a nurses' dormitory. When the Belknaps left the area in 1896, the Seventh-day Adventist Church took control of the facility. The church expanded the institution's educational and community role by adding a two-year nurses' training program. In 1897 it also formed a health-food company connected with the institution's broader health ministry. Growth made the Reed Mansion inadequate, and in 1902 the sanitarium moved to the base of Mount Tabor. A four-story wooden building with capacity for approximately 75 patients was constructed in a location close to a railway station. William Holden, M.D., joined the staff in 1903 and became medical director. He held that position until his death in 1955. Under Holden's leadership, the organization developed from a long-term-care sanitarium into a medical and surgical facility. The hospital continued to add services and educational programs during the 1950s and 1960s. These additions included medical-technology training, radiological-technology training, practical-nursing education, and a pediatrics department. By the mid-1960s, the existing property could no longer support the institution's anticipated growth. The hospital board sought assistance from the public, the federal government, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church for a large expansion project. A proposed $2.5 million project involved purchasing the 232-acre Glendover Golf Course. The plan called for approximately 46 acres to be reserved for the hospital, with the balance redeveloped as a 27-hole championship golf course and driving range. Local controversy surrounded the proposal, and the county eventually bought the property back from the hospital. The organization then purchased a new site on Southeast Market Street. Over time, the institution was known as Portland Adventist Medical Center and Adventist Medical Center before adopting the Adventist Health Portland identity. The modern organization is described as a 302-bed hospital serving the eastern side of the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area. Its broader network includes a 32-bed emergency department, 27 clinics, urgent care, home care, and hospice services. The organization has also served as the principal teaching hospital for the Walla Walla University nursing program. External recognition has included Leapfrog safety grades ranging from B in the 2012–2013 period to A from fall 2013 through spring 2015.
- 1960
Search for a larger hospital site
[1]The hospital board pursued a major expansion and evaluated the Glendover Golf Course property before moving to a site on Southeast Market Street.
- 1950
Expansion of clinical and training programs
[1]During the 1950s and 1960s the institution added technical training programs and a pediatrics department.
- 1903
William Holden becomes medical director
[1]William Holden, M.D., joined the staff and soon became medical director, guiding the transition toward medical and surgical care.
- 1902
Relocation to Mount Tabor
[1]The growing sanitarium moved to a four-story building near the base of Mount Tabor with capacity for about 75 patients.
- 1897
Nursing education and health-food activity added
[1]The organization added a two-year nursing program and formed a health-food company.
- 1896
Seventh-day Adventist Church assumes control
[1]After the Belknaps left the area, the Seventh-day Adventist Church acquired the facility and expanded its institutional role.
- 1893
First Portland medical facility established
[1]Lewis Belknap and his wife opened a six-patient medical facility on East Twelfth Street in Portland.
Products and positioning
Nonprofit, faith-affiliated regional hospital and integrated health-care provider emphasizing acute care, emergency services, outpatient access, community health, and clinical education.
Hospital services
Acute-care hospital
The core offering is a 302-bed hospital providing inpatient medical and surgical care for residents of the eastern Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area.
Emergency medicine
Emergency department
A 32-bed emergency department provides hospital-based emergency evaluation and treatment as part of the organization's regional acute-care service network.
Outpatient care
Clinic network
The organization operates a network of 27 clinics that extends access to outpatient services beyond the main hospital campus.
Ambulatory care
Urgent care
Urgent-care services address time-sensitive but generally non-life-threatening conditions outside the main emergency department setting.
Post-acute and supportive care
Home care and hospice
Home-care and hospice programs extend the organization's services into patients' homes and provide supportive care for serious or terminal illness.
Brand decisions
1960
Pursuit of a larger hospital campusStrategyBackground
The hospital's existing facilities were considered insufficient for continued expansion during the mid-1960s.
Action taken
The board sought public, federal, and church support for a major expansion, evaluated the Glendover Golf Course property, and ultimately moved to a new site on Southeast Market Street after controversy over the proposed golf-course redevelopment.
Aftermath
The Glendover property was returned to county ownership, while the hospital proceeded with development at the Southeast Market Street location.
Proposed expansion cost. $2.5 million proposed project (Mid-1960s)
Recent events
- 2013
Adventist Health Portland receives Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade A[1]
Other
The Leapfrog Group rated the hospital A from fall 2013 through spring 2015, following the earlier B rating period.
- 2012
Adventist Health Portland receives Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade B[1]
Other
The hospital received a grade of B from The Leapfrog Group during the period from spring 2012 to spring 2013.
Sources2 sources
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