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| EvergreenHealth Public Hospital |
The proposed North Tower will have 12 floors: 2 underground parking, 1 underground mixed-use, 2 above ground facility and ancillary, 7 inpatient care floors (3 will be left vacant.)
The proposed North Tower would have:
- two underground parking floors
- 1 mixed-use underground floor
- 2 above ground support and ancillary care floors
- 7 floors of inpatient care
- expanding capacity and modernizing surgical services,
- address community health needs for behavioral health services (how?)
- increasing seismic resilience
- improving Emergency Department capacity,
- and improving energy efficiency and environmental stewardship
The V.P. of Operations noted that they are in one of the better places in the greater Seattle
area to serve the public in the event of a large seismic event and
we may be one of few facilities operational.
He stated, " the anticipated UTGO Bond amount is approx.
$798,500,000, and would include a new North Tower. We would plan to buildout 6 of the 9 floors in the new North Tower to start and keep the remaining 3 floors for future expansion as needs arise or change. The levers used to achieve break-even Net Income over the 10-year proforma period were labor and overhead."
It was noted the UTGO BOND would equate to a tax rate of $.13 per $1,000 of assessed value (or $156.24 incremental tax increase per year for a $1.2M home in Kirkland, which is the 2023 median assessed home value). (However, 2024 King County appraisals for homes are reduced by ~ 20% from 2023. Thus, the hospital commissioners will probably launch the bond measure in 2024.)
Additionally, it was noted that the public hospital district taxes are 2.1% of the entire King County levy.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Paul Hess, Kenmore resident, asked if EvergreenHealth has implemented lean organizational strategies, noting that it will help close the gap. Additionally, he spoke about the Foundation, how their staff report to EvergreenHealth, and hopes that no Foundation funding will be used for a UTGO Bond. He also spoke critically about how he and other District residents pay taxes to fund the hospital but don’t use the services, while others who don’t pay taxes to fund the hospital use the services.
SOURCES:
-- Minutes: May 16th, 2023, Regular Board Meeting - 2 comments
-- Minutes: May 11th 2023, Special Session Commission Retreat
-- Minutes: May 2 2023, Special Session Leadership Educational Session 1 comment
-- May 10 Special Session Leadership Educational Session - 8 comments
posted by Bob Yoder, 9/2/2023
In the May 10th Hospital Commission's Special Session Paul Hess, Kenmore resident, noted that: he understands the demand for beds and population growth, but has concerns with the funding model. He does not use the hospital’s services and as a
ReplyDeleteresult feels he should not have to pay for it when others use the services but don’t fund the District. Additionally, he expressed concerns about the 2019 bond attempts, Foundation funding for the campaign and the Foundation reporting structure. Mr. Hess
reviewed the recent election results for levy requests, requested to see a copy of the business plan and wants the District to involve the public so the community can discuss it.
Response:
Commissioner Cashman responded to concerns expressed by Mr. Hess,
noting that the Foundation funding for the 2019 election came from
proceeds from the coffee stands throughout the hospital, and made
clear that no donor funds were used.
The above comment was taken from the Minutes of the May 10th commissioner meeting.
ReplyDeleteThe EvergreenHealth Foundation may not fund bonds, but it's known they are the primary promoter of bond measures like the one in 2019.
I found an April, 2017 Kirkland Reporter article that quotes an important fund-raiser for a capital project. Here's a snippitt:
Guests at the annual EvergreenHealth Foundation gala on April 29 raised $1.35 million to benefit a new Transitional Care Unit to be opened at EvergreenHealth’s medical center in Kirkland for patients with behavioral health conditions.
The funds raised at the 16th annual event will assist with development of this specialized 14-bed unit designed to support the needs of behavioral health patients who are receiving medical care at EvergreenHealth, while their care is transitioned to other community behavioral health treatment settings.
This year’s gala was themed “Let’s Rock N’ Roll” and brought together more than 700 donors at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
“Health care providers in the Northwest and across the country are seeing a rising need for specialized, behavioral health services, both medical and therapeutic, and we are heartened by the generosity of our community in supporting this critical need,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte in a press release. “These funds will allow us to further develop a care setting specific to this patient population, which reflects our organization’s ongoing commitment to grow and adapt to our community’s evolving needs over time —something we’ve been proud to be able to do over our organization’s 45-year history.”
Caring for behavioral health patients often presents distinct challenges from a safety, security and care-management perspective, the release states, and the new unit will consider these special circumstances to ensure patients, families and staff work effectively together, while patients transition to care settings for managing their behavioral health conditions.
The unit — which is a medical care unit, not an inpatient behavioral health unit — will be designed to cultivate a calming physical environment. Transitional Care Unit staff will receive specialized training and education on the needs of behavioral health patients and how to best provide the medical care that will assist in their transition to a more permanent therapeutic setting. Each patient room will be equipped with direct video-observation technology to provide patients with exceptional care and service in the safest setting.
Regardless of donor's wishes, the hospital never built the unit.