Women’s History Month: The woman behind Tacoma’s first hospital
It’s Women’s History Month, when we look back at the incredible contributions women have made to our collective history.
We’ve relied on women, in many ways, to care for our sick across the centuries. Health care as we know it would not have been possible without them. Even today, women represent the majority of nurses and midwives working around the globe, according to a study published by the World Health Organization in 2019.
In the United States, data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that women hold 76 perecent of all health care jobs. In some health care occupations, such as nurse midwives, speech pathologists, dental assistants and medical assistants, women account for at least 90 percent of workers.
The contributions of women throughout MultiCare’s history has also been significant, from the amazing nurses who have cared for our patients over our 130-plus year history to the many women leaders who helped our organization thrive and grow.
One such woman is Fannie C Paddock of Brooklyn, New York. She wasn’t a nurse, or connected to the medical profession at all. In 1880, Fannie was making ready to move to faraway Tacoma, Washington. Her husband, John Adams Paddock, was set to become the new Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Washington Territory. In addition to preparing their household for the long journey west, Fannie also took on another important task: raising funds to build Tacoma’s first hospital.
Watch the video below to learn more about how Tacoma’s health challenges ignited Fannie’s desire to help her new community and how her dream to build a hospital planted the seeds that eventually grew into MultiCare Health System.
