Slocum Orthopedics marks milestone for new Eugene surgery center

Slocum Orthopedics used a girder-signing Saturday to mark progress on its new Eugene ambulatory surgery center, a $30 million project on Chad Drive that is intended to expand local orthopedic care and shorten the wait for outpatient surgery.

The future facility is being built east of and adjacent to the Coca-Cola distributor and KEZI. Slocum held the public ceremony on May 2, with remarks, a girder lift and the placement of the steel beam as part of the milestone. The project is designed as a physician-led surgery center rather than a hospital expansion, underscoring the clinic’s plan to keep more procedures close to home for Lane County patients.

When it opens, the center is expected to span 34,000 square feet and include eight operating rooms, doubling the number Slocum currently uses at its Coburg Road location. The practice plans to move all surgeries into the new building while keeping the current site for physical therapy and office-based procedures, a shift meant to free up room and improve the overall flow of care. Slocum has said the new site should give the community more operating room time, lower wait times and reduce costs.

The center is also expected to handle a high volume of outpatient work. Earlier reporting said it could support about 8,000 to 9,000 outpatient surgeries a year and offer 23-hour overnight stays for patients recovering after surgery. Once complete, it is expected to be the largest non-hospital surgery facility in Lane County, giving Eugene-area patients another option for orthopedic care without having to travel farther for common procedures.

Todd Salnas, Slocum’s chief executive, said the project is meant to benefit the community by increasing access to surgery. The company framed the building effort as a long-term investment by local doctors, not outside owners, and emphasized that the center will be used by physician-owners who have practiced in Eugene for decades.

That history matters to many local patients. Slocum dates back to 1939, and in 1967 its physicians became the official orthopedic sports medicine team physicians for University of Oregon athletics. The new surgery center extends that long connection to Eugene sports medicine while adding more capacity for the everyday orthopedic needs of families across Lane County.

Construction is expected to take about a year, with patient care scheduled to begin in May 2027.