A long-standing effort to strengthen patient support services in Grants Pass has reached a significant financial milestone, bringing a widely used hospitality program one step closer to expanding its reach for families navigating medical care in Southern Oregon.
The Asante Foundation announced this week that its fundraising campaign to expand The Family House near Three Rivers Medical Center has surpassed $1 million in philanthropic contributions. The milestone represents an early but important step in a larger $3.2 million effort aimed at increasing the number of families who can stay near loved ones receiving medical treatment in Grants Pass.
The campaign is part of AsanteForward2030, a broad philanthropic initiative designed to enhance health care services across Asante’s nine-county region. The initiative focuses on three areas considered critical to the region’s future health needs: strengthening cardiac care services, advancing cancer treatment, and expanding patient hospitality housing through The Family House in Grants Pass.
For many families, especially those traveling from rural areas throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California, lodging near medical facilities can be both difficult to find and expensive. The Family House was created to help ease that burden by offering an affordable and supportive place to stay for patients and their loved ones while medical care is underway at Three Rivers Medical Center.
Since opening its doors in 2008, the facility has served hundreds of families facing serious illnesses, surgeries, and extended treatment schedules. With only seven rooms currently available, however, demand for the space regularly exceeds capacity. Hospital officials and patient advocates say the need has grown steadily as the region’s population increases and more specialized care becomes available locally.
The expansion plan seeks to address that demand by doubling the facility’s size from seven rooms to fourteen. In addition, the project includes plans to add three new RV parking spaces, providing additional lodging options for families who travel in recreational vehicles or need flexible accommodations during longer treatment periods.
Supporters of the project say the milestone demonstrates the community’s willingness to invest in services that help patients and their families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.
“Reaching the one-million-dollar mark is a powerful testament to the compassion and generosity of our community,” said Andrea Reeder, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer at Asante. “Every gift reflects a shared belief that no family should navigate a medical journey alone. This milestone brings us one step closer to expanding The Family House and ensuring more patients and loved ones have a safe, supportive place to call home during their greatest time of need.”
Community members gathered earlier this week to mark the fundraising achievement during a celebration hosted by the Asante Foundation. The event recognized donors, local partners, and volunteers who have helped support the project so far. Attendees also heard firsthand accounts from patients and family members who described how The Family House helped them remain close to loved ones during treatment.
Those personal stories, organizers said, illustrate why expanding the facility has become such an important goal for the region’s health care community.
For families traveling long distances, staying close to the hospital often allows them to participate more directly in care decisions and provide emotional support for patients undergoing treatment. It can also reduce the stress and financial strain that can accompany weeks of travel, hotel stays, and missed work.
AsanteForward2030 builds on previous philanthropic campaigns that have funded major improvements across the health system. Earlier efforts helped expand outpatient cancer services, introduce new surgical technologies, and support the development of the Olsrud Family Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford.
Foundation leaders say the latest campaign reflects the region’s continued commitment to strengthening local health care infrastructure while keeping services close to home.
Although the $1 million milestone represents a meaningful step forward, fundraising will continue as organizers work toward the full $3.2 million needed to complete the Family House expansion. Donations of all sizes, they say, will help move the project toward construction and ultimately allow more families to benefit from the facility.
If the campaign reaches its goal, the expanded Family House will significantly increase the number of patients and families who can remain near Three Rivers Medical Center during treatment, reinforcing the community’s long-standing effort to ensure that medical care in Southern Oregon is supported not only by advanced facilities, but also by compassion and community partnership.