Thurston and Lewis County residents in need of comprehensive cardiovascular services now have even more impetus to stay close to home for high-quality care. The reason: Providence St. Peter’s well-established, high-volume heart care program recently enhanced its outpatient cardiology services – as well as hospital-based interventional, electrophysiology, structural heart, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery offerings. The improvements include renovated facilities and a growing multidisciplinary, integrated care delivery team. The South Puget Sound program – which serves Thurston and Lewis counties, as well as Aberdeen, Yelm and Shelton – is part of the regionwide Providence Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute.

Clinic-based cardiology services

Providence St. Peter Hospital now has a team of 12 board-certified cardiologists and nine Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) dedicated to delivering comprehensive cardiovascular care. This expanded group enables greater access to timely appointments, collaborative treatment plans, and multidisciplinary expertise for South Sound patients.  

John Waggoner, M.D., cardiologist and medical director at Providence Cardiology Associates, said, “The partnership between the cardiologist and the advanced practitioner is a true dyad – working together, we deliver comprehensive and collaborative care that helps our clinic patients achieve the best outcomes. This model combines clinical and nursing expertise to enhance quality care and support the best possible results.”

Expanded, enhanced cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology labs

Providence St. Peter recently upgraded two cardiac catheterization (cath) labs for catheter-based procedures such as angiograms, angioplasties, stenting and structural heart operations. including congenital repairs and valve replacements. In addition, an electrophysiology (EP) hybrid room (for both catheter-based interventions and EP cases) is on the horizon, further expanding the hospital’s capabilities.

The Olympia hospital’s four original cath labs have consistently been the highest-volume interventional rooms in Washington state. More importantly, they regularly maintain the No. 1 ranking statewide for quality outcomes among peers for treating Acute Coronary Syndrome or ACS (e.g., heart attack, unstable angina, etc.).     

“At St. Peter Hospital, we are proud to serve as one of the region’s busiest and most trusted cardiac cath labs. By investing in new technology and expanding our capacity, we’re ensuring we can continue to meet the evolving needs of our community,” said Darin Goss, chief executive of Providence Swedish South Puget Sound. “Remodeling our oldest cath lab room and updating equipment helps us care for more patients with the quality and compassion they deserve.”

Structural heart program

The Structural Heart Program at Providence St. Peter is led by Gopal Ghimire, M.D., and a team of interventional cardiologists who perform an array of catheter-based procedures to repair congenital defects or replace cardiac valves in a minimally invasive fashion. Procedures include TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement), which is a minimally invasive procedure to replace a narrowed aortic valve without open-heart surgery; and Watchman, which is a one-time procedure to reduce stroke risk in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib not caused by heart valve problems).

Cardiothoracic (open heart) surgery

South Sound residents have long benefited from seamless access to topnotch cardiothoracic surgery services, as well as subsequent inpatient stays in the cardiac care unit and cardiac rehab services after discharge. Veteran cardiothoracic surgeon, Luis Santamarina, M.D., continues to lead an experienced open-heart team, which will soon benefit from the addition of a second cardiothoracic surgeon, who is scheduled to begin practicing at Providence St. Peter in August.         

Vascular and endovascular surgery

Providence St. Peter now employs four vascular surgeons who together provide South Sound residents with more than 45 years of combined experience. An integral part of their team also includes two physician assistants with more than 25 years of combined experience. In 2025, the three most seasoned vascular surgeons performed more than 700 cases for everything from life- and limb-saving surgeries, such as repairs of ruptured aortic aneurysms and limb revascularization, to preventative cases such as carotid endarterectomies. An updated interventional radiology biplane room will begin being constructed in fall 2026, with completion expected by the second quarter of 2027. This newly renovated suite will serve the Vascular, Neurology and Radiology teams. 

Close working relationship with South Sound-based first-responder partner organizations

As the largest medical center in the South Sound, Providence St. Peter helps provide important safety-net services in partnership with first-responder organizations in Thurston and Lewis counties. Their close working relationships are essential to quickly assessing, triaging and transporting people in need of cardiovascular services – often in emergent situations – to a hospital of the patient’s choice and, if a patient is unable to choose, the nearest appropriate facility. 

Benefits of St. Peter being part of the regionwide Providence Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute

Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute (SHVI) is the region’s leading cardiovascular care network, with the broadest range of services, sub-specialties and expertise in the most complex conditions. With locations throughout Western Washington, its integrated cardiovascular care teams are committed to advanced, leading-edge diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for a growing range of adult and pediatric cardiovascular diseases and conditions, including clinical trials and related research.

As consistent contributors to the regionwide SHVI network of heart care clinics and cardiovascular specialists, the team at Providence St. Peter is in regular communication with their counterparts throughout the Greater Puget Sound region, who they often collaborate with – whether on continuing medical education, sharing of best practices, and working together no matter the hospital campus – to constantly enhance access to appropriate, personalized and leading-edge cardiovascular care.

For more information about cardiac care services at Providence St. Peter Hospital, visit

https://www.providence.org/locations/wa/st-peter-hospital/heart-and-vascular-services