Founded in 1882, seven years before Washington achieved statehood, the Fannie C. Paddock Memorial Hospital opened its doors in a former dance hall at 2511 North Starr Street[citation needed] in what is now Old Town Tacoma.

As Fannie Paddock prepared to move West to join her husband, she asked him what was the greatest need in Tacoma.

She began raising money by asking her friends to support this cause and had collected $500 before she started her journey to Tacoma.

[3] Today, what was once the Fannie C. Paddock Memorial Hospital is now MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, and the healthcare mission begun in that converted dance hall has evolved over the last 130 years into MultiCare Health System — the largest healthcare system in the South Puget Sound region.

Tacoma General is physically attached to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, which is also run by MultiCare.