OPINION: Swedish/ER advertising is misleading and unfair

UPDATED OPINION:   I woke up this morning, 3/21, to yet another Swedish ER television commercial touting "SWEDISH ER ... the only 24/7 ER in Redmond just popped up".   They show a blue circle "popping up" on a Redmond "neighborhood" map.  (1) (2)

This Swedish television promotion is unfair and misleading.

So how is Swedish untruthfull and misleading the public? 

• First, Swedish is not the only 24/7 ER open for business in Redmond right now.  Evergreen Medical Center/Redmond ER is open for business on March 21, too.  Evergreen had their ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday (3/19) and their doors are open to ER patients today, March 21.   In fact, Evergreen/Redmond's Urgent Care, Primary Care and Speciality Care are open, as well.  I  confirmed this with Sherry Grindeland,  the Evergreen Communications specialist.
• Swedish promotes themselves as a "Neighborhood ER" and outpatient service.   The ED structure is located right across from UPS on a 'highway', not far from Cadman Gravel and right next to a veterinarian business that according to an employee, doesn't want them as neighbors. (egress/ingress issues). 
• No schools, residential sidewalks, pedestrians or plethora of small businesses are to be found, or expected.  Do you call this a neighborhood? 
• During the Swedish/ER opening ceremony this winter Swedish top brass proclaimed (to an audience of mostly Swedish/Seattle employees) that their massive medical complex ("big box") will stimulate the local economy. It will.  Even the Mayor spoke to the "vibrancy" and growth Swedish would bring to Redmond.  
• Truth be said and observed by the vet business and current commuter traffic - Swedish/Redmond ER plugs up traffic flows on Union Rd.    Local small business considering moving to Union Hill Road are deterred owing to blockage of ingress and egress.  
• Yes, Swedish/ER will bring in the big bucks to Redmond from highly paid Swedish workers.  But, the immediate "neighborhood" and businesses around Swedish will remain stale and lack healthy diversity.  

About Evergreen  
According to the Evergreen website:  "Evergreen Medical Center/Redmond will bring a whole new level of care to downtown Redmond, where primary care, urgent care, lab and imaging services will be conveniently together under one roof...along with a 24/7 emergency department.  The four-story, 48,000-square-foot facility is located at the Bella Bottega shopping center in the heart of downtown Redmond."

No question, Evergreen will bring traffic and parking congestion to the area and the ambulances will be a pain.   But every Bella Bottega business I've talked to in my survey said they were happy with the new business Evergreen will bring.  More residents will take to the sidewalks; new businesses will emerge nearby, happy to be close to Evergreen and our downtown.  Our nearby residential neighborhoods, including the downtown neighborhood, will truly be more vibrant.    In addition, the Urgent Care resources Evergreen/Redmond offers provide valuable service to the prudent consumer.

Swedish is obviously aggressive in self-promotion.  They are clearly stretching the truth by claiming a Redmond neighborhood location and saying they are the only ER game in town today.  The question of future trust arises.   At least for me.   Please share your opinion below this post or by Letter with your name to remondblog@gmail.com  

(1)  On 3/23, two days after this post, Swedish made a change and corrected their ad. 
(2)  On 3/25, Swedish advertised on CNBC they had the only 24/7 ER in Redmond.  I think the point is made. 

Opinion By Bob Yoder