We see you
When you come to us, we see more than a patient. We see a whole person, and we care for your body, heart, mind and spirit. After all, we live right here in the communities we serve — so you might find a friend, neighbor or fellow basketball parent caring for you.
Our service to different communities throughout the Pacific Northwest is bound by this commitment to a higher standard of care.
We call it courageous compassion, and it's the legacy of the nuns who founded us and gave us a name that reflects what we strive to give each patient: PeaceHealth.
We're proud to introduce a campaign that celebrates what it means to truly see and care for people, honoring those who live and work in our communities. We'll use this space to help you get to know them.
Please come back! We'll keep sharing new stories, one by one.
Featured Stories
Meet Jay
If you're an art collector in the Northwest you might be familiar with Jay. Born into a traditional Upper Skagit family, he's a painter, sculptor, jeweler and poet. And he doesn't see much difference between these different mediums. For him, creative expression is ultimately about healing, which makes sense as he's also a native traditional healer.
Jay received the gift of healing when he was young and has served those in need or pain ever since. He has helped friends when Western medicine has failed, but he's a believer in what both Western and Native medicine have to offer. Whether he is creating a piece of jewelry or actively healing, his goal is the same: "To help someone in the world." Here at PeaceHealth we strive to do the same.
Meet Brandon
If you need a hand with your yard, Brandon can help. Trained as a geographer, he now runs his own landscaping company in Vancouver, Washington, and continues to read as much as he works with his hands. Having had a roller coaster of a childhood, he also takes his roles as a husband and dad very seriously.
Brandon lost his mom when he was young and lived with his grandmother until she got sick. He spent a few years staying with different families until he found his new home and was adopted at 12. When he became a dad, he wanted to give his own daughter a sense of normalcy he didn't have growing up. That's the same feeling we try to offer the people in our care here at PeaceHealth.
Meet Tessa
If you're looking to get healthier and live near Vancouver, Washington, Tessa may be who you're looking for. She's an ultra runner, backpacker and goes on hundred mile "century" bike rides. And as a practicing yoga teacher, she also understands that the body needs rest. Oh, and she also hosts her own podcast.
Tessa has a love of writing and storytelling inspired by her grandmother, who grew up a socialite in New York City until her husband moved them to the Alaska frontier. Tessa's grandmother wrote for the newspaper and published poems and a book. "When I'm writing, I'm channeling her." We love your fascination with people and their stories, Tessa. We share it, too.
Meet Antonio
Antonio is a university admissions counselor by day, helping underserved high school students and their parents understand the potential of a college education. By night, he organizes community events in Springfield County, Oregon, to share Latino culture with young people.
Antonio was introduced to charreria, a style of horse riding and roping, growing up in Mexico. When he moved to Corvallis, he started organizing events like Noche Cultural, where he performs rope tricks wearing traditional dress and leather work he crafts himself. We appreciate Antonio's success at being culturally responsive — and we strive to do the same thing at PeaceHealth.
Meet Duncan
If you or a loved one has spent any time in our St. Joseph Center in Bellingham, Washington, you might have met, or more likely heard, Duncan. He's a therapeutic harpist. While he has played music in almost every part of the hospital over the last two and a half decades, he's most passionate about playing for hospice patients.
Duncan grew up in a house that doubled as a violin shop. His dad would take Duncan along when he brought his handmade violins to musicians at Seattle Orchestra. Duncan took up the harp at the suggestion of a friend. The moment he put it on his shoulder, he knew he was home. Thank you for being part of our community, Duncan, and living your commitment to serve.
Meet Maisie
Maisie is a youth mental health provider, organizer and activist in Eugene-Springfield, Oregon. She co-founded the Willamette Racism Response Network, and especially loves working with kids. While attending social justice protests with her daughter in 2020, she wondered, “How are these people protesting being fed? Who's taking care of them? Nobody was, so I said, 'Well, that's my job now.'”
When Maisie was a child, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. It affects her ability to walk, but not her ability to work with kids, organize events and make meals for fellow activists in her community. "Disability exists on a spectrum," she says. "Every single person who identifies as disabled has a completely different experience from another disabled person." We see and appreciate how you nurture our community, Maisie.
