MultiCare’s Global Outreach Program reignites purpose through service

By Meredith Bailey and Jennifer Krajnik

On a fall morning in 2025, five dedicated MultiCare employees set out on a 17-hour journey from SeaTac filled with layovers, anticipation and hope.

They were heading to Trujillo, Peru, a vibrant but underserved community where access to health care and technology can be limited. Their mission, as part of MultiCare’s Global Outreach Program, was to donate laptops to a clinic and install internet receiver dishes at a school, bringing vital Wi-Fi access to students and educators.

But the trip was about more than delivering technology — it was an opportunity for employees to reignite their passion for service and experience the joy of giving back.

“This program began from a personal calling to reconnect to my own purpose,” says program founder and manager Linh Libuit, PA-C. “Stepping outside of your comfort zone to volunteer in another country helps remind people of their own uniqueness, their strengths and the impact they can have on others.”

A lifelong commitment to service

Libuit’s spirit of service stretches back to childhood, when she accompanied her mother on trips to Vietnam, where her mother was born.

“We’d get our friends to help us put together these small kits with essentials, and then hand them out to kids at orphanages and HIV clinics in Vietnam,” Libuit says. “I saw the impact you could have on a community just by showing that you care.”

Since then, volunteering in countries around the world — from Argentina to the Philippines to Peru — has been an integral part of Libuit’s life. When she joined MultiCare as a surgical physician assistant in 2020, she was looking for an employer that shared her dedication to service.

“I was coming out of a period in my life where I felt professionally burnt out,” Libuit says. “I had lost sight of the volunteerism that inspired me to pursue medicine in the first place. I came to MultiCare because I wanted a work home that really believes in their mission, vision and values.”

Expanding our mission beyond borders

After joining MultiCare, Libuit worked with leadership to extend our mission of partnering for healing and a healthy future beyond U.S. borders.

Today, the Global Outreach Program is part of MultiCare’s provider wellness initiative. Its goals are to extend compassionate care to underserved communities around the world and reignite the spirit of service within our caregivers. The program includes three components: in-country events, local engagement groups and a virtual medical lecture series.

Through in-country events, MultiCare team members travel to Trujillo to support technology needs or collaborate with a local clinic to provide free health care. While Trujillo is Peru’s third most populous city, the region and its surrounding rural communities have one of the lowest physician-to-patient ratios in the world.

“These experiences give people the chance to disconnect from their normal routine. The change of scenery creates space for self-reflection, to reconnect with who you really are and what matters to you. For me personally, these experiences have been life-changing — when I come home, I feel nothing but gratitude and abundance.”

Nick Mower, RN, house supervisor at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital, has participated in two in-country events. In 2024, he was part of a team providing free medical care and supplies, and they quickly became a tight-knit group.

“We all showed up as strangers,” he says. “But it’s pretty amazing how a situation like this — when you have limited resources and you’re coming up with ideas to overcome challenges — really binds you together.”

Over the course of five days, his 11-person team cared for 555 patients with medical concerns ranging from musculoskeletal pain to urinary tract infections. One clinical site was a prison, where they provided care to women who were incarcerated and their infants.

“Many of the moms didn’t have concerns themselves — they just wanted to know that their babies were healthy,” Mower says. “It’s rewarding to be able to make such a difference for people by providing something that seems so basic. It’s humbling and it makes you grateful for what you have.”

When plans change, get creative

For both Mower and Libuit, part of the reward of in-country events is the chance to think creatively and adapt in real time.

During their 2025 technology donation trip, the team — which included colleagues from our IS&T department — arrived at the Victor De La Torre School to install satellite receiver dishes. But it turned out the school had recently received fiber internet.

Rather than abandon their mission, the team pivoted to solve another problem. Using equipment they already had and upgrading the school’s existing computers, they extended Wi-Fi access from a single classroom to the entire building. The team’s adaptability meant the satellite dishes they’d brought could be redirected to another rural community in need.

“We’re capable of so much more than we think we are, especially when we’re forced to think outside of the box,” Libuit says. “Dealing with the unexpected helps people focus on what they need to accomplish, rather than getting hung up on barriers.”

More ways to serve — near and far

Two other components of the Global Outreach Program allow employees to embody the spirit of service closer to home.

Local engagement groups, led by past Peru volunteers, provide opportunities for team members to serve local nonprofits in Washington. In addition, the monthly virtual medical lecture series enables MultiCare doctors and advanced practice providers to share their expertise and knowledge. Since the launch of the lecture series, more than 500 Peruvian medical students and residents have attended.

Surveys show the Global Outreach Program is making a meaningful difference for employees. Participants in Peru-related initiatives have reported increased emotional resilience, gratitude, fulfilment and a stronger sense of purpose at work. Those who reported high levels of burnout prior to participating (40 to 100 percent) noted near complete elimination of burnout post-event (0-10 percent).

“These experiences give people the chance to disconnect from their normal routine,” Libuit says. “The change of scenery creates space for self-reflection, to reconnect with who you really are and what matters to you. For me personally, these experiences have been life-changing — when I come home, I feel nothing but gratitude and abundance.”

How you can support the Global Outreach Program

Even if you can’t travel, you can be part of the mission. Donations support the purchase of medications, medical equipment, supplies, personal protective equipment, as well as blankets, food and other supplies for Peruvian residents. Make a donation.