Bellingham, WA – Giving back is an essential component of what makes Peoples Bank a community bank. For over 100 years, Peoples Bank has supported the communities we serve, helping them prosper and thrive. St. Joseph Hospital was established with a similar mission by the sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1891.
PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center has been a cornerstone of the Whatcom County community for over a century. We are pleased to announce that Peoples Bank will provide a donation of $1 million to their “Stronger Together” campaign, which is the largest fundraising effort to date in their 132-year history.
“We’re expanding our PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center campus to ensure we can provide the best care, close to home for our growing and changing community,” says Chuck Prosper, Chief Executive of PeaceHealth Northwest Network. “This new environment will support our nurses, doctors, and all others who provide care in our facility to deliver the best patient experience possible.”
The most significant physical change to the campus will be the addition of the 120,000 square foot Peter Paulsen Pavilion. This new building will provide six floors and 142 new patient rooms. Featuring a rooftop helipad, the pavilion will also have two floors dedicated to women and children’s care and a floor for a new unified emergency department.
In addition to the new building, the “Stronger Together” campaign also provides additional funding to support the doctors and nurses who keep the hospital running. Within the 2023-2024 fiscal year, PeaceHealth served over 422,000 clinic patients and over 15,000 hospital patients in Whatcom County. This included 69,986 emergency department visits, 1,892 babies delivered, and 10,471 surgeries performed.
The hospital’s Institute for Nursing Excellence, which focuses on attracting and retaining both new and experienced nurses, and the Institute for Physician Well-Being, which addresses the significant challenges faced by healthcare providers, will receive funding from the campaign.
“We want to make sure that when we get them, we keep them. The best physicians and nurses are not going to hospitals that don’t have programs like this,” says Amber Asbjornsen, Chief Philanthropy Officer of PeaceHealth Northwest, when asked about the importance of having these programs in place.
Amber explained, the main goals of the “Stronger Together” campaign are to support the hospital’s physicians and nurses right now, as well as alleviate some of the challenges to help providers meet the needs of patients both today and 20 years into the future.
The hospital’s need for community donations seemed well aligned with Peoples Bank’s long history of giving. In 2024, the Bank gave over $700,000 in grants and sponsorships, while employees volunteered at least 3,190 hours to local organizations.
“As a proud supporter of the hospital for many years, we are happy to provide PeaceHealth with this major donation. The improvements made by this campaign will undoubtedly ensure our communities have access to high-quality healthcare for years to come,” said Derek Thornton, Chief Financial Officer for Peoples Bank.
Work began on the Peter Paulsen Pavilion this spring, and the building is expected to open to the public in 2028. Learn more at Stronger Together | PeaceHealth.
About Peoples Bank: Peoples Bank is a locally owned and operated, independent full-service community bank with $2.4 billion in assets. Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, Peoples Bank has been serving the community for 100 years and operates 23 locations throughout Washington. Reflecting its strong financial management practices, dedicated employees, and long-standing customer relationships, Peoples Bank was awarded a superior five-star rating from BauerFinancial, a leading independent bank rating firm. Learn more about Peoples Bank at www.peoplesbank-wa.com. Member FDIC.
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