Today, February 6, 2024, Pacific Lutheran University announced a partnership with Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicaine, and MultiCare. They plan to address health care provider shortages in Pierce County and other areas beyond. Here is the announcement:

Today marks an exciting day for PLU’s future, and I want you to be among the first to hear about it.

This afternoon, PLU announced the creation of a new health education and care district in Parkland, Washington. This district will be powered by the Partnership for Health Innovation, a collaborative initiative between PLU, MultiCare, and Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine that will address critical health care inequities and provider shortages in Pierce County and beyond.

As you are likely aware, PLU has a long-standing commitment to service and care for our local community, state and globe. With strengths in nursing, natural sciences and health-related fields with the integration of the liberal arts, PLU is increasingly sought out by partners like MultiCare and WSU. This partnership will open additional doors to Lutes by expanding opportunities for innovative student education and growth.

I invite you to learn more, including specific plans announced today that will strengthen our PLU campus and our communities: www.plu.edu/health-innovation.

To brighter futures for all,

Allan Belton
PLU President

And more from the PLU website:

“The three institutions identified Parkland-Spanaway and the surrounding area as a micro-region in urgent need of additional health care resources and established the Partnership for Health Innovation.

• PLU’s 130-plus-year commitment to service and care in Parkland-Spanaway and Pierce County, with strengths in nursing, natural sciences, and health-related fields integrated with the liberal arts, made its campus the prime location for this new center.
• MultiCare is committed to the Parkland-Spanaway community and has announced the construction of the medical center on PLU’s campus.
• The WSU College of Medicine is working with PLU and MultiCare to place medical students throughout Central Pierce County who will train in and provide care to the community, live on the PLU campus, and have access to PLU and MultiCare instructional and clinical facilities.

MultiCare Health System and Pacific Lutheran University announced plans to build a new outpatient care medical center on the PLU campus. The new facility, called MultiCare Medical Center at Pacific Lutheran University, is part of MultiCare’s ongoing effort to improve health care access in the South Sound. The center will provide Central Pierce County communities with efficient, convenient, and high-quality services.

This new facility will offer urgently needed outpatient care. As PLU’s focus groups and outreach identified access to health care as a top priority from the Parkland community, MultiCare will continue the partnership’s commitment to community listening, holding a series of focus groups with neighbors, school districts, and local organizations to help shape the services provided.

Based on the initial feedback from the community, the preferred location for the medical center would be the southeastern portion of the former golf course near South Yakima Avenue. The construction of the medical center will begin no later than 2027, with an opening date planned for the following year.”