Economic Impact

Whatcom County's largest employer

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and our clinics are the biggest employers in Whatcom County, with over 3,000 employees. We invest more than $1 million a day in our Caregivers.

In FY23, PeaceHealth made $87M in capital improvements in Northwest Washington.

Whether it’s building new facilities or getting the latest medical equipment, PeaceHealth is dedicated to providing high-quality care for Whatcom County residents.

 

FY24 Operating Costs

Operating PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center

It costs over $737 million each year to run PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and our clinics in Whatcom County. Over half of this amount goes to paying our caregivers, including their salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes — that’s more than $1.1 million a day.

 

Supporting All of Northwest Washington

Our impact goes beyond Whatcom County. We also run medical centers and clinics in Sedro-Woolley and Friday Harbor. In FY24, it cost more than $112 million to operate these facilities, with more than 55 percent going to caregiver payroll and benefits.

Increased regional access to care:

Profits from our main hospital, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, help support other PeaceHealth hospitals in Northwest Washington, like PeaceHealth United General Medical Center in Sedro-Woolley and PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor, and PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics in the region.

Essential services in rural communities:

Critical access hospitals are essential for providing health services in rural areas, but they often struggle to stay open. Being part of a larger system allows us to support these hospitals and ensure that people in Sedro-Woolley and other rural communities don’t have to travel far for care.