Covington Medical Center’s new 58-bed hospital opens for business

MultiCare’s new 58-bed inpatient hospital at Covington Medical Center, at 17700 SE 272nd St., will see patients beginning Tuesday, April 24, expanding care for Covington and nearby communities with a variety of services.

The four-story facility, named the Cecchettini Pavilion, has 48 adult medical surgical beds (six of these are pediatric/adult swing beds), and a 10-bed family birth center with private rooms and in-suite bathtubs. It connects directly to the emergency department at Covington Medical Center.

The hospital also has three operating rooms, with pre- and post-op rooms, recovery areas, and a surgical waiting room as well as an inpatient pharmacy and lab.

“We are so excited to serve our community with this project,” said Mark Smith, president and chief operating officer of MultiCare Auburn Medical Center and MultiCare Covington Medical Center. At the opening ceremony April 7, Smith thanked the team of people involved in bringing the hospital to reality, including staff, architects, construction teams and the community. “No hospital comes into completion without the effort of a tremendous group of people working hard for a very long time.”

Covington Mayor Jeff Wagner read an official proclamation at the ceremony to welcome the completion of new facility and proclaimed it as a “day of new beginnings” for Covington. “It’s been a long process and I’m glad it’s here: MultiCare is a great partner with the city and the community,” Wagner said.

Smith also thanked the namesake of the new pavilion, Diane Cecchettini, who served as president and CEO of MultiCare until 2014 and began the Covington expansion planning during her time as CEO.

“Diane’s vision and her leadership, and the steady, continual work that has been done here at Covington brought us to this moment today,” Smith said. “We want to recognize and thank her for her vision and her commitment over the years.”

Covington Medical Center is one of the most comprehensive multi-specialty clinics in South King County. Located just east of Kent, the clinic offers a variety of convenient medical services. These include emergency services, urgent care, family practice, surgical facilities and other health care specialties. Construction of the expansion began in 2014.

About Diane Cecchettini

Diane Cecchettini, RN, joined MultiCare in 1989, and 10 years later she became the first female president and CEO of the organization.

During her tenure with MultiCare, Cecchettini oversaw the expansion of MultiCare to include Good Samaritan Hospital and Auburn Medical Center, the early adoption of electronic health records, and implemented major improvements to hospital facilities including new Emergency Departments at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. She was also instrumental in re-establishing trauma services in Tacoma, in partnership with CHI Franciscan Health System and Madigan Army Medical Center.

Cecchettini spent 21 years in the Air Force Reserve as a flight nurse in aeromedical evacuation. She served in the Vietnam era and was a troop commander in Operation Desert Storm, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1993. She served two terms as chair of the governing board of the Washington State Hospital Association, and served on many community boards in Tacoma/Pierce County.

Before joining MultiCare, Cecchettini worked for Sutter Health System in Sacramento and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Cecchettini has been recognized with numerous regional, state and national awards for her leadership in the health care industry, including the Joe Hopkins Memorial Award from the Washington State Hospital Association, CEO IT Achievement Award from Modern Healthcare Magazine and the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) and was named a Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal.