Health Care

Spokane care providers work to protect services

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Despite recent staffing and service reductions across Spokane's healthcare sector, some providers here expect to maintain their workforces and offerings, even as they face rising expenses, growing patient demand, and difficulties with Medicaid compensation.

New Spokane alliance drives life science growth

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane-based organizations Greater Spokane Incorporated, LaunchPad Inland Northwest Foundation, and Health Sciences & Services Authority of Spokane County are partnering with Seattle-based Life Science Washington to expand access to resources and support for life science entrepreneurs in the greater Spokane region.

INW medical spas embrace wellness boom

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Driven by booming demand for weight loss medications, medical spas across the Inland Northwest are rapidly expanding beyond traditional cosmetic procedures into full-service wellness and metabolic health centers. For many operators, offering these treatments supports clinic growth and provides a financial boost amid rising operational costs.

HSSA grant fuels biotech expansion in Spokane

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Seattle-based biotechnology company Orlance Inc. is expanding its vaccine research and development operations into Spokane County through a $250,000 grant from the Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County, bringing new jobs and plans for clinical trials to the region.

SFCC program adapts to meet workforce demand

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane Falls Community College’s Orthotic and Prosthetic Technology program — one of only four certified training courses in the nation — has doubled its cohort size in three years to help address a nationwide technician shortage.

MultiCare launches refocused philanthropic series

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation is bringing fundraisers out of the ballroom and into more intimate settings through a new series that connects community donors with physicians, patients, and the medical services their contributions help support.

New Markets pipeline grows in Spokane

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Organizations behind a growing pipeline of projects across Spokane — including a behavioral health center, a mixed-use childcare development, and an expanding transitional pediatric health facility — are actively positioning themselves for a federal tax-credit program to help their projects move forward.

McKinstry Co. launches 'Building What Matters'

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Contractor and energy-efficiency systems manufacturer McKinstry Co. has launched a new podcast, “Building What Matters,” featuring conversations with leaders who decide how schools, hospitals, and major infrastructure projects are built in communities across the Pacific Northwest.

North Idaho bakery builds up skills from scratch

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:00:00 -0400

The Village Bakery owners, Dana and Todd Bellefeuile, have built their Hayden establishment around a workforce model that helps people with disabilities develop skills for future employment and independent living.

March 2027 opening slated for Vineyard Park

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

A March 2027 opening is now slated for a new five-story senior living community, dubbed Vineyard Park North Spokane, at 7609 N. Division, bringing 128 new units to Spokane's North Side.

Riverview Retirement secures accreditation

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Riverview Retirement Community has earned accreditation for its RiverCare home health division, expanding services to meet a surge in seniors who are choosing to age in place rather than move to a facility.

Federal funding triples in Spokane to $23M

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane-area companies are capturing substantially more federal research funding than they were 15 years ago.

MultiCare plans to shut down multiple health clinics

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

MultiCare Health System plans to close several Rockwood clinics by the end of 2026 due to financial challenges in the health care industry.

Craft3 invests $35M in Eastern Washington projects

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Craft3, a nonprofit community lender that helps finance projects in underserved communities, has finalized two investments into Eastern Washington valued at $35.5 million.

$4M residential care facility planned in the Valley

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

A Liberty Lake-based residential care company is erecting a new $4 million, 16-bed residential treatment facility on a more than three-fourths acre parcel at 18101 E. Appleway in Spokane Valley.

Post Falls hospital transitions to rehab use

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital, at 600 N. Cecil Road in Post Falls, will cease operations as a long-term acute care hospital in October and begin operating as an extension of Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest.

2026 Rising Stars: Peter Mahoney

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Peter Mahoney, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, is the wellness services director for Plummer, Idaho-based Marimn Health, where his department manages two facilities: the Marimn Health Wellness Center and the Marimn Health Coeur Center.

2026 Rising Stars: Hannah Kimball

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Attorney Hannah Kimball joined Coeur d’Alene-based Malek + Malek in May, where she helps rural hospitals, healthcare nonprofits, and other health system clients manage their legal obligations.

Many INW companies dodged impacts of food recalls

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Some Spokane-area health officials and food distributors are saying the region has largely avoided direct impacts of the national foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls impacting Americans this summer.

MultiCare plans to shut down eye clinics

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:52:55 -0400

Vision care services in the Spokane area will be impacted in the new year, as three MultiCare Rockwood eye clinics will close in Spokane County effective Dec. 31.

Bouncing Back: Spokane's plans for rebuilding

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0400

The city of Spokane is preparing to accelerate debris removal, testing permits, and reconstruction efforts as property owners affected by the Spokane Complex Fires face what officials expect will be a lengthy rebuilding effort.

Four INW companies make Inc. 5000 list

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Four Inland Northwest-based businesses have made Inc. business magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in the country.

Catching up with: Dr. Bob Lutz, former SRHD health officer

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Although he considers himself partially retired, Dr. Bob Lutz continues to find ways to keep caring for the well-being of the public.

LaunchPad INW nabs bioscience ecosystem grant

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

LaunchPad Inland Northwest Foundation has secured a $100,000 grant as it expands its InnovateINW initiative to include partnerships, an AI & Cyber Network, and programming aimed at helping businesses adapt to artificial intelligence.

Long-term care sector faces increasing pressure

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

The population of adults age 85 and older in the Spokane area is projected to nearly quadruple, rising from 10,700 in 2025 to 40,400 by 2050 — a significantly higher growth rate than any other age group over the next 25 years. As the demographic grows older, the long-term care sector is expected to face higher demand for assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and adult family homes, creating new opportunities — and challenges — for providers across the region.

Rehabilitation hospital planned in Post Falls

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Encompass Health Corp., a Birmingham, Alabama-based healthcare provider, is planning to build a new 50-bed rehabilitation hospital in Post Falls.

Operating room renovations eyed at Sacred Heart

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Providence is investing $9 million to modernize four operating rooms at Sacred Heart Medical Center, located at 101 W. Eighth in Spokane, as part of a multiyear project to revamp all 28 surgical rooms at the hospital.

Providence reorganizes behavioral health staffing

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

As behavioral health patients at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center age and their medical needs grow more complex, the hospital is redesigning its staffing strategy for inpatient psychiatric services.

Whitworth launches new four-year nursing program

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Whitworth University will launch its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in fall 2027 to address the growing need for trained nurses across the Pacific Northwest.

Aging adults exceed capacity for care

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Washington state is on the leading edge of a demographic shift that is placing pressure on senior housing providers, long-term care operators, healthcare systems, and developers as the state's aging population grows substantially faster than the workforce and housing inventory needed to support it.