Dr. Juliette Erickson serves as the Medical Director of Palliative Care for Providence Swedish in South Puget Sound, leading care for patients facing serious illness or navigating new diagnoses. Palliative care provides an added layer of support at any stage of illness – from helping individuals in the early stages of dementia to guiding patients and families through end-of-life decisions. Through a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, physicians, chaplains, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, social workers, medical assistants and administrators, palliative care focuses on treating the whole person. The goal is to restore a sense of control by walking alongside patients as they live life on their own terms.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that we can work as an integrated unit to put the patient’s needs first,” said Dr. Erickson. “We work very hard to communicate well with each other and communicate with the patients who have extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Everything we do centers on how we can best help the patient in front of us. How could you not love that? When I saw Providence’s promise – Know me, care for me, ease my way – I knew these were my people.”
Dr. Erickson’s call to medicine became clear at a young age. “When I was thirteen, I told everyone I was going to have five kids and be a doctor,” she said. “I knew it was a career where you could truly help people. I didn’t want to sell anything or do something like that, I just wanted to serve others. From that moment, nothing deterred me.”
She began her career as a family medicine physician in a private practice in Aberdeen. When she was first asked to become a medical director of a hospice, she hesitated, unsure how to balance a new leadership role while managing a growing practice and caring for a newborn. With encouragement from hospice nurses who believed deeply in her leadership skills, she agreed to take on the new role while continuing in family medicine.
Eleven years ago, Dr. Erickson began seeking opportunities to collaborate with a broader care team. She reached out to Providence St. Peter Hospital and arranged to work one weekend per month while maintaining her private practice and hospice medical director role in Aberdeen.
Four years ago, she was encouraged to step into a new leadership role as a palliative care medical director with Providence. After careful and personal deliberation, she made the difficult decision to close her private practice and join Providence full time.
“It was incredibly hard because I loved my patients and my work,” she said. “But I only get one life. I knew I could grow so much by moving in a new direction. I wasn’t seeking this change – the work found me. And I’m so grateful that it did.”
Today, Dr. Erickson seamlessly balances multiple roles, all centered on advancing and advocating for palliative care. She serves part-time in an administrative capacity as medical director for Palliative Care in South Puget Sound, overseeing teams at Providence St. Peter Hospital, Providence Centralia Hospital, and an outpatient clinic. In addition, she provides clinical care at all three locations.
While she values each setting, Providence Centralia Hospital holds a special place in her heart. Having spent much of her career in a small town, Dr. Erickson understands the unique strengths and challenges of rural communities. She knows that patients often wish to remain close to home and loved ones, even when medical resources are more limited. Centralia Hospital’s seven-day-a-week palliative care team – an uncommon feature for a smaller hospital – allows patients to receive high-quality care without leaving their community.
“Many patients don’t want to be transferred away from their families,” Dr. Erickson said. “When people can stay within their community, surrounded by those who love them, they often heal better and faster. That sense of connection is incredibly powerful.”
For Dr. Erickson, quality care goes well beyond medical treatment. It means listening deeply, understanding what matters most to the patient, and ensuring they feel informed and supported.
“People come to the hospital scared and vulnerable,” she said. “We try to bring healing in every way possible. Even when we can’t cure an illness, we can still offer calm and compassion. I don’t carry a scalpel, but words can heal too.”
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Erickson finds joy in her family and close relationships. She chats constantly with all of her adult children, two of which have already chosen career paths in medicine. She also has a love for travel, preferring to explore lesser-known corners of new destinations rather than the typical tourist paths.
Through her leadership, humility and deep compassion, Dr. Erickson continues to shape palliative care as a practice rooted in dignity, connection and whole-person healing.
Learn more about our palliative care program at this link: Palliative Care | Providence
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