Wellness Place becoming CSC Central Washington, expanding cancer support across 4-county Region

WENATCHEE — Wellness Place is preparing for a major transition in the new year, aligning its long-running local cancer support mission with a national network while keeping its nonprofit identity rooted in Central Washington.

Effective January 1, 2026, the Wenatchee-based organization will join the Cancer Support Community (CSC), becoming CSC Central Washington. The move connects the four-county service area — Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan — with more than 200 partner locations worldwide.

The change follows a strategic planning process Wellness Place completed in 2024, which identified a growing need for wider awareness, deeper outreach to underserved communities, and expanded psychosocial programming. Board and staff leaders determined that CSC’s resources and model were aligned with those goals while still allowing the local organization to operate independently and maintain the personal support it has offered for more than twenty years.

By joining the CSC network, Wellness Place gains access to a broader range of professionally led programs and national research-driven tools, all of which can be delivered in-person, online, or over the phone at no cost to participants.

Executive Director Marissa Collins said the decision grew from a practical question about how to make limited resources go further for local families experiencing cancer. She said the organization found in CSC “support that is backed by nationwide expertise, innovation, and advocacy, while preserving the compassionate, local cancer care that defines who we are.” Collins described the process as thoughtful and said it involved input from important leaders in the organization’s past and present.

CSC CEO Sally Werner welcomed Wellness Place into the national network. She said the Wenatchee organization’s commitment to compassionate, accessible care aligns closely with CSC’s mission, and that together they hope to ensure people across Central Washington have a place to turn for strength, connection, and support.

The transition to CSC Central Washington will not change the cost of services — Wellness Place’s programs will remain free — or the organization’s local focus. Leaders describe the shift as a way to add capacity rather than redirect it, pairing long-trusted regional care with national-level expertise.

Wellness Place board and staff say they will spend the coming months preparing for the January launch and inviting supporters to help mark the milestone, which they see as the beginning of a new era for cancer support in the region.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media