MultiCare Health System

MultiCare's Person & Animal Wellness Support (PAWS) program is back after a long pause, returning volunteer therapy dogs to hospitals and clinics. In addition to patient visits, the PAWS program is relaunching with an emphasis on MultiCare staff. Kristi Martin, director of professional outreach at Good Samaritan and board member of MultiCare Good Samaritan Foundation, is utilizing her educational background to help expand the program at the hospital. She’s currently writing her dissertation on the benefits of pet therapy for health care professionals. “With high levels of burnout and stress, how can we as an organization use something like PAWS that we already plan to use for patients?” she says. “How do we also take care of our team members?” Research shows that even a small amount of time with pets has positive effects — releasing endorphins, lowering blood pressure and decreasing anxiety. An opportunity for staff to visit with a furry friend during their shift can provide important rejuvenation.

Meet Erin Standard, Inpatient Nurse Manager at Capital Medical Center, overseeing ICU, PCU, and Med/Surg. Erin’s leadership journey at MultiCare has been one of growth and support. With access to extensive leadership training, resources, and structured plans, Erin feels more supported than ever before. This year, Erin is pursuing her master’s degree through MultiCare’s tuition assistance program via Guild. She also values support programs like Code Lavender and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help her staff navigate the challenges of healthcare. At MultiCare, our goal isn’t just to help you succeed in your current role — we also want to invest in your long-term career goals. Explore our professional growth opportunities at https://multica.re/41ZCFCc

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) premature babies at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital and their families got to celebrate Christmas yesterday with a special visit from Santa Claus. For several years NICU nurse Dustan Braun has taken on the role of Santa, and wrapped each baby in a stocking individually knitted by volunteers. https://lnkd.in/gVFNGHqt

The Pulse Heart Institute team at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital completed a first-in-state case earlier this month, successfully repairing a patient’s thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm without a risky surgery. Vascular surgeons Jaideep Das Gupta, MD, and Chris Ward, MD, led the case — a Gore Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) device implant. The Gore TAMBE device is the first FDA-approved endovascular repair solution for the treatment of complex aneurysmal disease involving the aorta. Because it is a less invasive procedure, there are fewer risks to the patient and a shorter hospital stay and recovery time. Thank you, Dr. Das Gupta and Dr. Ward, for your leadership and clinical excellence in completion of this case, and to the entire vascular team for your dedication to bringing the best care to our patients in the Inland Northwest region.

Holiday rounding throughout MultiCare Allenmore Hospital on night shift! Rounding was complete with Christmas music, candy, Christmas themed socks (huge hit!), and many smiles and laughter. Our front line teams are doing incredible work and it is a privilege to round with them and spread some holiday cheer. MultiCare Health System

Interfaith Works (Thurston County, WA) works against misconceptions about the circumstances of people without housing everyday by promoting social justice and peace through interfaith understanding and cooperation. When we shift our mindset to one of ensuring everyone can live with dignity, the community can better meet the needs of its residents, says Ivy Ayers, MPA, director of administration at Interfaith Works. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Interfaith Works struggled with a sudden influx of people coming directly from the hospital. In partnership with MultiCare Capital Medical Center and Providence St. Peter Hospital, Interfaith Works launched the REST program, which provides six dedicated shelter beds with direct discharge from the hospital and a 90-day maximum stay. REST participants receive intensive case management, 24/7 support and access to primary care providers who visit the shelter weekly to maintain medical supervision during recovery, all directly within the shelter.

Last week our MultiCare Valley Hospital leadership team volunteered at Second Harvest Inland Northwest to sort 6,000lbs of donated food — looking for safe food packaging and any outdated items, then boxing the food to ship to the next location for distribution to those in need. Thank you for helping us serve and nourish our community.

The free holiday feast was available Wednesday to all patients, visitors and staff who wandered by the hospital’s cafeteria. Hospital Chaplain Bill Strunk spent the day serving more than 420 pounds of chicken. “It’s a fun and different way to get to serve people. It’s really a rush of everyone coming down,” he said. MultiCare Inland Northwest CEO Alex Jackson said the annual tradition is a small way to give back to MultiCare Deaconess employees who have to give time up with their families over the holidays. “No one chooses when they’ll be ill. So we need to be here on Christmas, on Thanksgiving. We want to say thank you in every way we can to all our employees who delay their Christmas until they get off shift,” he said.

Meet Kimo Espinosa, Manager of Nutrition and Food Services at Capital Medical Center. Kimo's journey began with some nerves as he transitioned from his previous role to a supervisory position in hospital-based care—a significant leap with a different knowledge base. But with strong support from his team and leadership, Kimo quickly adapted. Currently enrolled in Guild classes, Kimo is taking advantage of MultiCare’s educational benefits. Guild is a program that offers financial support for employees to pursue a variety of educational opportunities, from bachelor's degrees to certification courses. MultiCare covers up to 100% of the cost for classes, like Kimo’s upcoming Excel course, making it easier for employees to advance their skills and careers. Learn more about MultiCare’s tuition assistance program and other growth opportunities at https://multica.re/41ZCFCc

Yesterday, we had the honor of hosting our 6th Annual Health Care Leadership Awards. It was an inspiring afternoon celebrating the incredible leaders who are transforming health care in our region. From innovative breakthroughs to impactful community work, these honorees showcase the very best of what leadership can achieve. A heartfelt congratulations to all the award recipients, and thank you to everyone who joined us in recognizing these remarkable achievements! Congratulations to our honorees: Rod Hochman, M.D. - Providence | William Robertson - MultiCare Health System | Thomas Kruse - Virginia Mason Franciscan Health | Mary (Nora) Disis - University of Washington - School of Medicine | Charleen Tachibana - Virginia Mason Franciscan Health | Kelli Nomura - International Community Health Services | Dr. Evan Ong - Providence Swedish | Stephanie Lizza - EvergreenHealth | Adam Lacy-Hulbert - Benaroya Research Institute | Andre Dick - Seattle Children's | Hoifung Poon - Microsoft | @Victoria Zhu - Optum | Kelli Houston - Community Health Plan of Washington | Mikel Samaniego - Bridging Care | Ben Casavant - Tasso, Inc. Thank you to our Sponsors for making this celebration a success: Presenting: Providence Swedish and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Platinum: Sabey Corporation/Optispan Centerpiece: ZoomCare | Silver: Northwest Healthcare Response Network Bronze: EvergreenHealth, International Community Health Services, MultiCare Health System, Optum, Seattle Children's, UW Medicine