PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center

Hospital in Bellingham, Washington
Hospital in Washington, United States
48°46′24″N 122°28′26″W / 48.7734°N 122.4739°W / 48.7734; -122.4739ServicesEmergency departmentLevel II trauma centerBeds251HelipadFAA LID: WN73Public transit accessBus interchange WTA[a]HistoryFormer name(s)St. Joseph HospitalOpenedJanuary 1891LinksWebsitePeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical CenterListsHospitals in Washington State

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center (commonly shortened to St. Joe's)[2] is a hospital operated by PeaceHealth in Bellingham, Washington. Its trauma center is the Haggen Family Emergency and Trauma Center, a level II trauma center.[3]

The hospital provides general medical care, as well as specialized treatment for heart and joint conditions and cancer.[4] It is the only hospital in Whatcom County.[5] They have 251 licensed beds.[6]

History

St. Joseph Hospital was opened in January 1891, established by nuns of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace; it was the first hospital established by what is now PeaceHealth.[7][8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital changed its visitation policies multiple times, but opened patients to one visitor at a time starting in September 2022 and two visitors starting in October of that year.[9][10]

Helipad

The hospital's helipad[b] is often used to airlift patients to Harborview Medical Center,[12] the only level I trauma center in the state. Medical airlift services at St. Joseph are operated by AirLift Northwest[13] and Life Flight Network.[14]

Video of airlift helicopter at St. Joseph Medical Center
video icon Airlift 6 Touching Down via Facebook

Rankings

The hospital was ranked number 9 in the state of Washington by U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ The hospital is served by WTA's route Hospital/Cordata – Hospital/Downtown[1]
  2. ^ Officially registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as "ST JOSEPH HOSPITAL MAIN CAMPUS HELIPORT"[11]

References

  1. ^ "St Joseph Hospital". Whatcom Transportation Authority.
  2. ^ Schwartz, Ralph (May 31, 2023). "Fired from St. Joe's, Bellingham doctor stands his ground". Cascadia Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "Haggen Family Emergency and Trauma Center at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center". PeaceHealth. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "PeaceHealth Medical Group/PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center". bellingham.org. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Bellingham, Washington". UW Pediatrics. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, Whatcom County" (PDF). PeaceHealth.
  7. ^
    • "The PeaceHealth Story: The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace: A Heritage of Healing and Compassionate Care". PeaceHealth. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
    • "Our History". PeaceHealth.
    • "Our Community History in the Pacific Northwest". PeaceHealth.
    • Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Benoit, Matt (April 5, 2021). "Examining Bellingham's Hospital History". WhatcomTalk. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Smith, Adam (September 7, 2022). "Bellingham hospital rolls back COVID visitor restrictions". 790 KGMI. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  10. ^ PeaceHealth (October 26, 2022). "PeaceHealth Eases Visitation Policy Further as Whatcom County Transmission Rates Continue to Decline". WhatcomTalk. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Location Identifiers Search Tool". Federal Aviation Administration. WN73.
  12. ^ As attributed in news sources such as:
    • "Whatcom man airlifted after reportedly being hit on purpose by driver following argument". The Bellingham Herald. July 6, 2021.
    • "July crash on Eldridge Avenue occurred after driver appeared to fall asleep, victim airlifted to Harborview Medical Center". Whatcom News. August 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Benoit, Matt (November 24, 2018). "AirLift Northwest's Randy Nash: Flying to Save Lives". WhatcomTalk. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  14. ^ "Life Flight Network". January 13, 2021 – via Facebook.
  15. ^ "PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center". U.S. News Best Hospitals. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 10, 2023.