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Health Care
Residents Benefit from Expanding Facilities and Services as Good Samaritan and MultiCare Join Forces
The Good Samaritan Hospital campus in Puyallup is set to expand substantially in the next few years.
When Good Samaritan Community Healthcare and MultiCare Health System announced in 2006 that they’d be joining forces‚ big things were predicted for the new entity.
And those predictions are coming to pass.
Good Samaritan and MultiCare combined have four hospitals‚ six ambulatory surgery centers‚ six urgent care centers‚ 28 multi-specialty clinics‚ home health and hospice services and occupational health clinics. They have 7‚600 employees and 1‚600 physicians.
The affiliation has provided benefits for both sides‚ including improved access to programs‚ facilities and outreach opportunities.
For Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup‚ the partnership has produced tangible results as construction plans are being drawn up for a new patient-care tower and more physical improvements. The tower is one of many facility enhancements‚ including a new emergency room‚ imaging department‚ surgery suites and private patient rooms. A medical office building also will be built on the campus.
For MultiCare‚ this was a chance to join forces with a well-known hospital and expand into a larger service area‚ says Todd Kelley‚ media relations manager.
“This enables us to reach into other populations and increase access to services over a broader geographical area‚” Kelley says. “Eastern Pierce County is an area that has huge population growth‚ and now we can offer them the kind of high-quality medical services they deserve and expect.”
At the end of the day‚ the goal of both entities was to enhance and expand Good Samaritan’s services‚ and that is being realized with the new construction‚ as well as through ongoing training and other initiatives.
“[MultiCare] is a larger organization than us‚ so we’ve been able to tap into their resources‚” says Susan Messier‚ director of marketing and media relations for Good Samaritan. “That’s already shown itself in our recruitment. They have the Institute for Learning and Development‚ which has hundreds of classes for professional and personal growth for employees. Our staff has really welcomed that.”
Good Samaritan also has been able to utilize MultiCare’s nurse residency program‚ which is holding three classes at the hospital in 2007 and will graduate approximately 60 students.
“Those are nurses that we’ve been able to cultivate and grow within our organization‚” Messier says. “We do attempt to recruit‚ but this lets us grow our own‚ so when they finish‚ they understand our culture‚ our philosophy‚ and become truly good Good Samaritan or MultiCare employees.”
As the partnership between the two entities continues to develop and deepen‚ the area’s residents can expect more good things‚ Kelley adds.
“We’re figuring out where all the synergies exist‚ and how we can fit the two systems together well‚” he says. “Both organizations have a vision of turning Good Samaritan into a regional medical center‚ and we are all focused on that goal.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
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