During a hospital tour in the mid-80's the Communications manager inadvertently showed me the commissioner's concealed public chambers. She was immediately fired. Suspicious, I began reporting on their meetings (photography and videotaping is forbidden.) A few Public Record Requests were filed.
One Public Record Request shockingly revealed an executive/pediatrician's salary of $600,000 and other misfeasance (1988.) It's unknown how long he was paid to participate in hospital governance. CEO Brown, a likeable fellow abruptly resigned, saying goodbye to all employees by email and flew off to Pennsylvania.
With that, the commissioners then hired Bob Malte from Colorado Springs as CEO. Bob is genuine and a real pro. Mr. Malte reshuffled personnel and re-branded Evergreen to "EvergreenHealth." The hospital began winning regional and national awards under Malte's helm.
It's well known, one in five Americans have a mental health condition in a given year; and only half are treated. Under the Malte Administration, EvergreenHealth developed a new mental health service but the booming EvergreenHealth community still doesn't provide significant behavioral health urgent care treatment. (Their Emergency Department physicians treat patients with anti-psychotics and other drugs.)With Malte's departure, Jeff Tomlin, MD took over as CEO. He practiced anesthesia for years at EvergreenHealth and was a military officer. CEO Tomlin took a national leadership role when the pandemic struck in 2020. He steered EvergreenHealth through some pretty tough waters; we are ever so grateful.
Sadly, the thrust for an "Outpatient Urgent Care Behavioral Health Clinic" lost momentum. Evergreen took Mental Health off the 10-year facilities plan, despite the explosive incidence of mental health conditions uncovered by COVID.
-- Bob Yoder, Opinion 7/26/2024
It’s just irresponsible for a hospital of this size serving the east side which surely lacks enough mental health inpatient facilities, to take it off of the 10 year plan. I will not vote in favor of the levy as a result. It is poor planning IMHO. Overlake is the only tertiary care hospital on the east side that offers inpatient mental health. And they are maxed out, frequently only handling the worst of the worst cases. It’s time the side has more resources for people who just struggle and need inpatient care. I have personal knowledge of trying to get a family member care and it is a horribly difficult experience. Evergreen is burying their head in the sand because they don’t want to offer it. Frankly they can’t have a, “world class cancer center,” as they like to call it, without an on staff psychiatrist to treat cancer patients. They are using illusions and mirrors, and it’s soon going to come crumbling down around them if they don’t do the right thing.
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