Linn County, OR. — Linn County commissioners have formally endorsed a grant application to support expansion of Western University of Health Sciences’ medical school campus in Lebanon, backing a project aimed at strengthening the region’s healthcare workforce.
At their March 17 meeting, Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger, and Will Tucker signed a letter supporting WesternU’s request for funding through the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Connect Oregon program. The grant would help finance key transportation infrastructure needed for a planned 150-acre campus expansion.
WesternU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Northwest, which opened in 2011 near Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, plans to develop new facilities on land donated by the Heatherington Foundation. The site lies east of the existing campus near Gil’s Landing and the South Santiam River.
Grant funds would be used to construct a new access road and an underpass beneath an existing railroad line, improving connectivity and enabling development of the expanded campus.
In the county’s letter of support, Commissioner Tucker said the project is expected to “offer a significant influx of highly trained health care professionals” through expanded doctoral and post-graduate programs. He noted that demand for healthcare workers continues to grow across Linn County and the broader region.
County officials emphasized the economic importance of the healthcare and education sectors, which saw employment growth of 2.9% last year and now account for nearly one-fifth of Linn County’s private, non-farm jobs.
WesternU students already play an active role in the community, contributing more than 16,000 volunteer hours through clinics, health fairs, literacy programs, and donation drives—an impact local leaders say will grow alongside the campus expansion.
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