St. Charles Hospital originally opened in 1922 on Hospital Hill, the corner of Lava Road and Franklin Avenue in downtown Bend, (now the location of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bend). By 1970, faced with the pressures of a growing population and unable to expand downtown, St. Charles CEO Sister Catherine Hellman looked out of town — east of Pilot Butte. In spite of community concerns that the new location was in the middle of nowhere, the hospital broke ground on its new medical center in 1972.

Dedicated Sept. 21, 1975, the new St. Charles Medical Center featured 160,000 square feet of space spread out over four floors. There were 164 patient beds, a coronary unit, an emergency room, and an intensive care unit.

— Deschutes Historical Museum