Layoffs hit Bellingham caregivers as PeaceHealth announces 2.5% workforce reduction
PeaceHealth plans to lay off 241 positions across Washington — including 55 based in Bellingham — come December, the company notified the state on Tuesday.
The majority of impacted positions are non-clinical and administrative roles based in Vancouver, Wash., according to PeaceHealth Marketing and Communications Director Amy Drury.
Still, 37 positions will be cut directly from St. Joseph Medical Center staff. Another 18 positions will be cut from other offices and clinics in Bellingham.
Beyond Bellingham, PeaceHealth also operates facilities in Friday Harbor, Longview, Sedro-Woolley and Vancouver, Wash., according to the company’s website.
“After extensive analysis and careful consideration, PeaceHealth has made the difficult decision to reduce its workforce by 2.5%, including eliminating select caregiver roles, closing some open positions and making other organizational adjustments. The overwhelming majority of impacted positions are non-clinical and administrative Shared Services roles, which support PeaceHealth’s 16,000 caregivers across three states,” Drury told The Herald.
Some impacted positions locally include:
- Nurse residency program manager
- Administrative specialists
- Financial analyst
- Communications specialist
- Supply chain manager
- Medical office assistants
- Assistant nurse managers
- Facilities maintenance managers
- Clinical education director
- Hospital medicine programs manager
- Imaging supervisor
- Centralized scheduling supervisor
- Cardiac rehab supervisor
- Clinic manager
- Informaticist
- Hospital medicine programs manager
“This decision was not made lightly,” Drury said. “It reflects the ongoing need to transform and modernize our operations in response to the rapidly changing healthcare landscape — one that has challenged even the most resilient healthcare organizations. As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care and to building a future that sustains our ministry and strengthens the communities we serve.”
Layoffs are expected to begin Dec. 27 and continue until Jan. 16, 2026, according to an Oct. 28 letter PeaceHealth sent to the Washington Employment Security Department.
PeaceHealth is required to notify the department under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which necessitates that companies planning a mass layoff give workers 60 days notice.
“We deeply value the contributions of all who have served our mission and, in keeping with our Value of Respect, provide comprehensive transitional support consistent with our policies and practices to all impacted caregivers,” Drury told The Herald.
Because some of the positions PeaceHealth plans to cut are union-represented and protected by something called “bumping rights,” the company said in the letter that it could not “predict with certainty” which represented employees would ultimately be affected or the exact order in which employees would be separated.
“PeaceHealth will ensure that all caregivers will be paid all earned wages at the time of their layoff in accordance with Washington law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement,” the letter states.
St. Joseph Medical Center is Whatcom County’s only hospital and the second-largest employer in the county, employing 3,721 people in 2024, according to data collected by Western Washington University.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 1:33 PM.
