Kaiser Permanente Begins Construction of Oregon’s First Fully Electric Hospital, Targets 2029 Opening

The new facility will include private patient rooms, in-room telemedicine capabilities, advanced robotics, and image-guided surgical equipment.

Kaiser Permanente has begun construction of a new hospital tower at Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Oregon, which it describes as the state’s first fully electric and sustainable hospital facility.

The seven-story, 615,000-square-foot tower is expected to be completed by 2029. While the health system has not disclosed the project cost, it said financial details will be shared after construction is completed.

The new facility will include private patient rooms, in-room telemedicine capabilities, advanced robotics, and image-guided surgical equipment. It will also feature an expanded emergency department designed to increase capacity and improve care delivery.

According to Kaiser Permanente, the project is part of its broader effort to integrate sustainability into healthcare infrastructure. The hospital will operate entirely on electricity and is designed to reduce environmental impact compared to traditional facilities.

Leong Koh, executive medical director at Northwest Permanente, said the expansion is intended to support clinical teams and enhance patient care delivery at the site. Sunnyside Medical Center, which first opened in 1975, serves a large patient population in the region.

The new tower will replace the existing hospital building on the campus. Once construction is complete, the current structure will be removed and the space repurposed for parking, walkways, and outdoor areas.

The facility is also targeting LEED Gold certification, a globally recognized sustainability standard. If achieved, it will add to Kaiser Permanente’s portfolio of LEED-certified buildings, which currently stands at over 80 facilities.

The development reflects increasing focus across healthcare systems on integrating digital care technologies and environmentally sustainable design into new infrastructure projects.

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