Exciting plans are beginning to take shape to upgrade PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and surrounding buildings. An application detailing the plans will be submitted to the City of Bellingham in late 2021 or early 2022.  Elements in the plan to be constructed within approximately five years include:

• A new, six-level pavilion that will intersect the current east and north towers of the hospital. The new pavilion will provide a beautiful new entrance to the hospital and house an expanded ED, renovated nursing units and new childbirth center -- all needed to match the growth of Whatcom county.
• A helicopter pad on the top level of the pavilion, allowing for quicker patient transfer directly from the roof.
• Upgrades to heating, cooling and ventilation systems as well as wet/dry utilities needed to service the new pavilion.

The application also includes the following elements for future contemplation, should growth demand additional campus resources:

• A second multi-story garage and/or expansion of an existing parking garage
• A new multi-story medical office building

Note that permitting is currently underway with the City of Bellingham for a new garage to be located east of the main hospital on the current site of a surface parking lot. The plans for this garage were approved by the City as a part of the 2006 master plan. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring/summer 2022, with completion slated in mid-to-late 2023.

We welcome your feedback! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about the hospital’s upgrade plans, please email us at CommunicationsNW@peacehealth.org.