PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center recently purchased North Cascade Cardiology (NCC), which has offices in Bellingham, Anacortes, Southeast Alaska and the San Juan Islands. Integration of the two organizations will take effect July 1.

NCC employs 13 cardiologists, four nurse practitioners, more than 100 staff members and sees 30,000 cardiovascular patient visits annually.

Collaboration between the medical center and NCC goes back to the 1970s when the first cardiologist came to Bellingham and started what would become NCC — that cardiologist was also qualified to see patients at the hospital, said Amy Cloud,  spokeswoman for PeaceHealth.

Since then, the relationship has evolved. The two groups worked together to plan and design PeaceHealth’s cardiovascular center, which opened in 2003. PeaceHealth surgeons and NCC cardiologists have worked together in the center since then and the integration between the two organizations is the next step in that partnership.

“This not only creates efficiency by reducing the duplication of costly technology, it builds on an already strong, long-standing relationship,” Cloud said in an email interview. “It’s a natural step on the path to world-class healthcare, one that will ensure continued access to locally based, top flight cardiologists for emergency care as well as diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management of cardiovascular problems.”

Cardiologists will continue to see patients and provide outpatient cardiovascular testing in NCC’s main clinic, in the Northwest Medical Center at 2979 Squalicum Parkway. That NCC office, along with the others, will get the PeaceHealth brand and logo July 1 and will begin changing signs after that.