One of the most significant, actually historic, health care projects in Oregon in 2025 was dedicated on October 4, 2025 in the north coast community of Wheeler, Oregon. The new 16,000 square foot Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy replaces a small, aging clinic that has served the region since the early 1980’s. The 15 exam and procedure rooms will double the capacity of the current clinic.
The new Health Center will provide new services including dental care and x-ray and will have space to develop specialty service not now available in the community. The new facility is owned and was developed by the Nehalem Bay Health District and will be operated under a lease agreement by a
long established local non-profit, the Nehalem Bay Health Center. The new facility will continue to be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).
The Health Center & Pharmacy are located at 855 Nehalem Blvd., the corner of U.S. Highway 101 and Hospital Road in Wheeler. The new Health Center began serving patients on October 8. https://www.nehalembayhealth.org/
This was a community celebration, with over 200 people gathering under sunny skies to celebrate a historic day. It was noted that because of the incredible support and encouragement of the entire community we would simply not have been able to create a new, state-of-the-art Health Center built to serve our area for years to come.
In May 2023 Health District voters by a nearly 70% vote supported a general obligation bond measure to help finance construction of the new Health Center. The District’s project was endorsed by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley who secured a $3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and state legislators contributed $2 million more to the effort. The District also received strong support from Oregon foundations and many individuals.
The Health Center also features a beautifully sited community room overlooking Nehalem Bay – the Leila Newhouse Salmon Room – with a full kitchen enabling cooking classes. The Health Center is an art-filled space featuring many well-known artists, as many opened up their special collections and donated generously. We’ll be doing a video about the art in the near future!
Here are Wheeler Mayor Denise Donahue’s remarks from the momentous day:
It is such a privilege to stand here with you today as we officially cut the ribbon on the Nehalem Bay Health Center…a vision that has been in the making for well over this past year. For me and the city of Wheeler, the center represents far more than bricks and mortar. It represents access. Access to better medical care. Access to quality dentistry. Access to vital mental health services. These are not luxuries, they are necessities. And today, we are celebrating that these services are no longer miles away or out of reach, but right here at home.
What excites me most is the ripple effect this center will have. It will not only improve the well-being of Wheeler and our neighbors across North County, but it will strengthen Tillamook County as a whole. Healthy communities are strong communities. Families thrive, students learn better, workers are more productive, and businesses flourish when people have the care they need.
This center sends a message: that rural communities matter. That our voices are heard, our health is important, and that our residents deserve the same level of care as anyone living in a large city.
So today, when the ribbon is cut, let’s recognize what this moment means for us all. It marks the beginning of a new chapter where healthcare is closer, stronger, and more responsive to the needs of the people who call this place home.
I am proud to see this investment in our future and grateful for what it will mean to families across North Tillamook County. The Nehalem Bay Health Center is more than a building, it is a promise that our community’s health and well-being will always matter.
It was a historic day for our community – from the arrival of Dr. Harvey Rinehart in 1913, the establishment of the Rinehart Clinic in the 1940’s, building of the hospital in 1953 to the establishment of the Health District in 1980, the community’s health care continues to evolve. 2025 will be marked as the day a small rural community steps into the 21st century of healthcare. An amazing addition to the Nehalem Bay area.