The State of Health Care: MultiCare Capital Medical Center

by Kathryn Millhorn

Will Callicoat, President, MultiCare Capital Medical Center

Multicare Brings Health Care To the Community

The last few years have shown how important healthcare is within a region. We recently caught up with Will Callicoat, President of MultiCare, Capital Medical Center. Will shared how MultiCare is growing and adapting to meet the needs of our communities every day.

MultiCare Health System incorporates hospitals, urgent care departments, behavioral health and more statewide.

MultiCare operates Capital Medical Center & Clinics in Olympia. MultiCare is working hard to ensure access to care in the Capital Pacific Region. The region includes Thurston, Mason, Grays Harbor, Pacific, and Lewis counties. They are growing and adapting to meet the needs of our communities every day.

Will started his healthcare career at Capital Medical Center in 2003. He has lived in Olympia since 1998.

As expected, a bustling organization is always looking for new ways to benefit the community and meet needs before they arise.

Multicare is developing a “now, near, far” plan, looking at services and addressing outreach for the next one, three and five years. One of these plans kicks off in the summer of 2022 with the development of a women’s health community advisory committee.

Under the leadership of Dr. Monica Young, a surgeon specializing in general surgery, breast surgery, and bariatric surgery, this group will “fill a need,” says Callicoat. “We will develop services and offerings for women’s care based on committee input. This work will influence a new women’s center, recruitment and future equipment purchases.” He and Dr. Young hope the committee’s work will also strengthen the bonds of trust and respect for patients that receive care at MultiCare Capital Medical Center.

Across town and coming in the summer of 2023 will be a new off-campus emergency department facility in Lacey near Pacific Avenue and Golf Club Road. Its ten beds will be under the hospital’s license and are part of its new expansion goals. Callicoat says the MultiCare Capital Pacific medical group hopes to triple its primary care presence through off-site clinics across the region.

Capital Medical Center has been in existence for 37 years – having opened its doors in 1985. During that time, the hospital had eight different owners. But now, under the MultiCare umbrella, it has found a forever home. “We dissolved the former corporate structure,” explains Callicoat, “So it won’t be sold like that again. More importantly, we are the first local owner and first nonprofit owner – truly the final owner.”

“It’s important that we show up and support our community partners,” he says. “There are many factors that impact health, so it’s important to have a community engagement plan that actively supports important local groups like Interfaith Works, Hands on Children’s Museum, Garden Raised Bounty (GRuB), Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative, Rebuilding Together Thurston County, SideWalk, South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, South Sound Parent to Parent, the Saint Martin’s nursing program, South Sound YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and others.”

MultiCare also supported Capital Medical Center itself through enhancements and improvements. Two million dollars went into purchasing a new Da Vinci robotic surgical system to provide more efficient and quality outcomes in general surgery, urology, gynecology, and other minimally invasive procedures. It will cost $12 million to upgrade the Center’s sterilization systems and $20 million for a new medical records system.

The medical community is more than just neighborhood doctors and nurses. Support staff, foundations, community partnerships, and nonprofit organizations all provide quality care for the bumps, bruises, and occasional pandemics of life. Thanks to their hard work, and the efforts of dedicated management like Will Callicoat and his entire MultiCare team, we can move forward together into a healthy future. Find upcoming local facility news and events at www.multicare.org/location/capital-medical-center.

Being led by Cecelia Loveless, the Foundation is now here and will play a critical role in ensuring Capital can serve the community. More information will be forthcoming on how you can support this cause with time, talent, and treasure. To learn more about participating in this Foundation effort, please contact Cecelia.Loveless@MultiCare.org.