Summit Pacific Medical Center celebrates expansion
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 24, 2026
On Wednesday, with elected officials, current and former staff members and community members in attendance, Summit Pacific Medical Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the completion of its hospital expansion.
“The journey to fund the $60 million project was extremely challenging with multiple points where we thought the project was failed to launch,” said Josh Martin, CEO of Summit Pacific Medical Center in his opening remarks. “Yet we persevered with many of you and rallied together as community and partners.”
Funding for the expansion came through a combination of revenue bonds since Summit Pacific is S&P bond rated, $4 million in fundraising through Summit Pacific Medical Foundation, $2.5 million in federal funding for phase 1 of the expansion through the support of Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and state funding.
Following Martin’s remarks, Dr. Mimi Syed, the senior medical director of Care Services Specialties and also the Emergency Department director, provided a physician perspective of why the expansion was needed.
“As our community has grown and as our older population continues to grow, our 40,000-square-foot footprint, built back in 2013, simply couldn’t keep up with the demand. Too often, our emergency departments struggled with space, leaving patients waiting longer than they should,” Dr. Syed said. “Too often, our acute care beds were completely full, meaning we had to pause vital initiatives like our screen bed program, which provide long-term transitional care to patients recovering right here close to home. This 30,000-square-foot expansion changes everything.”
The project includes an expanded emergency department with 16 treatment spaces, 24/7 MRI and nuclear medicine services, the helipad relocated to the rooftop and a Fast Track treatment area. Additionally, there are now 25 private acute care rooms and dedicated behavioral health treatment spaces.
With this additional space, “it also means we are officially relaunching our vital swing bed program, allowing patients to rehabilitate right here in Elma, surrounded by the people who love them,” said Dr. Syed.
During her remarks, County Commissioner Georgia Miller shared that “my own family has experienced high level quality care here at Summit Pacific through the expansion of their programs, care that was not possible before. My husband suffered a stroke during COVID and we got incredible care, gotten stabilized and was able to transfer out.”
In closing, she said, “And so the amount of care and the services keep expanding. The need is here and I just want to thank once again all of you for the work that you’ve done.”
Jennifer Burkhardt, chief talent and legal officer, described the state and national advocacy needed to secure funding for the expansion. Last year, the United States Department of Agriculture National Office, which had to approve the funding for Summit Pacific to move forward with its bond offering for the expansion, sent a letter determining they would not approve the funding.
“In addition, the letter asked us to repay all of the funds for the Wellness Center immediately,” Burkhardt said.
Through the advocacy efforts of Martin and former Congressman Derek Kilmer, along with state USDA officials, they successfully made the case for funding rural health care.
“And the USDA reversed that decision. The Wellness Center funding was left absolutely intact, and the funding for the expansion was allowed to go forward,” she said. “That’s what advocacy looks like.”
Because Kilmer was unable to attend the ribbon cutting, Burkhardt read a letter that he sent, in which he wrote, “There was no way I was going to let this moment pass without sending my congratulations. I’ve never forgotten something I learned in my college anthropology class. They once asked the anthropologist Margaret Mead what she considered the first signs of civilization. The expected answer was a tool, an instrument, maybe an article of clothing. Instead, she said it was a healed femur. A thigh bone that had been broken and had healed because a healed femur meant someone cared enough to help you heal. Mead said that’s where civilization begins. The moment we decide to take care of someone in their hour of need. That is what this building is. That’s what the team at Summit Pacific does every day.”
Martin concluded the opening remarks by sharing a quote from Florence Nightingale.
“She once wrote, ‘The very essence of nursing is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon them.’ This expansion embodies that belief by bringing natural light, views of the outdoors, and a calming, healing environment into our new expanded emergency department and acute care unit. We are creating spaces where patients can recover with greater comfort, surrounded by caregivers with loving intent.”
Although unable to attend, Sen. Cantwell shared via email that “Grays Harbor County faces a shortage of health professionals, and Summit Pacific Medical Center’s expansion is helping answer that critical need. Today’s grand opening, the culmination of a six-year journey, marks a transformative step toward better care for the entire community.”
