EvergreenHealth and Seattle Children's Enter Affiliation For Neonatal and Specialty Care

 

Chris Bredeson, EvergreenHealth chief operating and strategy officer, left, and Jamie Phillips, president and chief operating officer at Seattle Children's, are seen July 1 at the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the launch of Neonatal & Pediatric Specialty Care Services at EvergreenHealth Medical Center.

Kirkland-based EvergreenHealth and Seattle Children’s have entered into a strategic affiliation for neonatal and pediatric specialty care services that will allow Eastside families to get specialized inpatient care from Seattle Children’s doctors at Evergreen’s Kirkland hospital, the parties announced today.

The affiliation took effect July 1, 2025 starting with pediatric cardiologists, neurologists, and general surgeons from Seattle Children’s, according to Chris Bredeson, EvergreenHealth's chief operating and strategy officer. More pediatric specialty services will be added over time, he said in an interview.

“It means a lot for patients to be able to have care in their community — and so we have a big initiative around improving access for people on the Eastside; and in the pediatric area, that's something we've heard from people over and over again that they don't like driving across the bridge to Seattle for all the reasons you can imagine,” Bredeson said. “They want to stay in the community, and so we're going to do everything we can to have as many babies stay as possible ... if they come through the emergency department, go to our pediatric unit, or if they're born at Evergreen.”

425 Business, 7/7/25

EvergreenHealth Executives Meet with State Legislators

 

EvergreenHealthEvergreenHealth18,052 followers18,052 followers3d • Edited • 3 days ago • Edited • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

CEO Ettore Palazzo, MD:  "In November, we welcomed several state legislators to our Kirkland campus as they prepare for the upcoming session in Olympia!🎈 (Larry Springer was one.)

These visits allowed us to share our role as a public hospital district, highlight our services, and discuss community investments.

Like many hospitals across Washington, EvergreenHealth faces significant financial challenges due to recent state and federal policy changes. We appreciate the opportunity to engage with our elected leaders on these issues and are grateful for their continued support and commitment to quality care."

Pictured: 48th LD Representative Osman Salahuddin, CEO Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP, Director of Women's & Children's Services Tessie (Hughes) Foley, Chief Operating and Strategy Officer Chris Bredeson, MBA, FACHE,  and Chief Financial Officer William Howe

[EvergreenHealth is now partnering with Children's Hospital of Seattle to facilitate and expand care on the Eastside.] by

UPDATED 11/16: King County Election Outcomes Affecting Redmond

credit KIRO

STATE 148th LD  

Osman Salahuddin 10,974,   68.24%

Dennis Ellis              5,078,   31.58%

KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE 

C. Zahilly    133,804,    51%  Winner

C. Balducci 129,459,    49%

KING COUNTY REPRESTATIVE

Sarah Perry     21,438, 66.8%

Bob Wotton    10,545, 32.9%

REDMOND CITY COUNCIL

Melissa Stuart  4,431,  75%

Kay Asai          2,796,   25%

REDMOND CITY COUNCIL

Vivek Prakriya 3,971,  62%

Steve Fields     2,405,  38%

REDMOND CITY COUNCIL

Menka Soni                  7,590, 56.82%

Jeralee Anderson          5,679, 42,52%

LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT DIRECTOR #4

Aspen Richter, 19,408,  72.99%

Kim Martin,       7,092,  26.58%

EVERGREEN HEALTH HOSPITAL COMMISSIONER #5

Robin Campbell     54,680,  73,65%

Gary Harris            18,936,   25.75%

Candidate names in red are projected winners.  Votes are counted every day with results posted on the King County Elections website at 4:30 p.m.  

ADHD Awareness Month

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month

The many faces of ADHD

Do you know that one third of children with ADHD develop Adult ADHD?  

Video on teen ADHD (with brief information on Tourette's tics)  4 m. 

Data and Stats on ADHD - Center for Disease Control.

NAMI Eastside webinar on ADHD, sponsored by EvergreenHealth, 1 hour.

-- Reported by Bob Yoder, 10/31/2025  

EvergreenHealth Commission Educational Session

 MINUTES:  

EvergreenHealth Educational Session meeting, August 1, 2025, 7 AM 

Present:  CEO, Commissioners, Staff

• Plymouth Housing - the model, performance, the intent
• UW Clinical professor discusses problems with the U.S. Healthcare systems compared to other countries. 
• Levy lid lift benefits. 

Meetings are held in the Surgeons and Physicians Pavilion #Tan 250 and are open to the public. 

-- Bob Yoder, 10/26/25

EvergreenHealth CEO Ettore Palazzo Connects With Sammamish City Council

EvergreenHealth CEO Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP, presented the "State of Healthcare" to the City of Sammamish Council on October 14th, answering several questions from Mayor Karen Howe and council members. Premi

Chief Executive Officer3 days ago • Edited • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

"It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Superintendent and CEO of EvergreenHealth. One of the aspects I enjoy most about the role is the opportunity to connect with the many cities and municipalities within the public hospital district.

Thank you to the City of Sammamish Council for the opportunity to provide an update on EvergreenHealth and to share insights on the ever-evolving healthcare landscape."

“We look forward to partnering with you to continuously improve our shared community of care. EvergreenHealth is proud to serve Sammamish & the entire Eastside community with high quality healthcare,” said Dr. Palazzo.

-- LinkedIn, 10/20/25

Medicaid Funding Cut In Every State

 

March, 2025 Medicaid presentation by EvergreenHealth CEO Dr. Ettore Palazzo and Senator Maria Cantwell

"Friendly nurse reminder: in WA state, Medicaid is referred to as Apple Health. Medicaid funding is being cut. This could lead to up to ~14 rural hospitals shutting down in 2026 or 2027. The Washington State Hospital Association is advocating at the federal level to protect our rural hospitals from these cuts.

Neither EvergreenHealth or Overlake are on that list but there are layoffs reported at Overlake (possibly related to the cuts) per the Worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) layoff and closure database.

So far no layoffs at EvergreenHealth; and it appears no layoffs at Overlake are attributed to Medicaid cuts at this time.

But what does this list mean for you all? Be prepared for longer waits at urgent care and the ER as more patients need to be seen at fewer hospitals AND people start losing insurance and cannot afford to be seen at primary care/urgent care and thus cannot keep up with preventative care.

Try your best to practice preventative care and to treat minor injuries/illnesses promptly so they do not become "BIG" concerns that need the ER or hospitalization."

Source: Recent Kirkland FB group post.

Not every state is cutting Medicaid yet, but they eventually will. Most of the provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill—HR 1—have yet to go into effect and these cuts will have a devastating impact on state budgets. Analysis shows that HR 1 will cut federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over ten years. 

-- Source: Internet, Oct 2. 2025

North Carolina and Idaho have already announced plans to cut Medicaid payments to health care providers, including hospitals, doctors, and caregivers.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania — where lawmakers have yet to pass budgets this year — spending on Medicaid is part of those debates. In Washington state, lawmakers approved cuts to the program that will not affect who is eligible, said Hayden Mackley, a spokesperson for the state’s Office of Financial Management.

Source:  Internet, 9/2025

Bob Yoder, updated 10/16/25

Discussing Mental Health with King County Executive Candidates

Please listen to the video for accuracy and completeness. The last half is most telling.  

The major theme was managing (Balducci) and coordinating (Zahilay) resources to achieve a continuum of care.  Implementation of voter-approved behavioral health resources is terribly slow (Balducci.) Zahilay listed his coalitions that will disrupt the cycle of addiction and improve behavioral health care.  Balducci insisted the revolving door should have only one entrance.  She stressed wider use of medical records towards this end.

Financial pressure:  Balducci has working experience with state officials on both sides of the aisle.  Prioritization and accountability of spending is needed for this and other levies.  Zahilay co-sponsored the new stabilization .1% sales tax -- 10 cents on a $100 purchase!)  This tax funds 1) fewer sheriff layoffs 2) gun and domestic violence advocacies, 3) courts / victim support, 4) behavioral health treatment.  Balducci said needs evolve and these funds need re-prioritization; accountability, with proactive audits and quarterly reports.     

Youth struggles:  Balducci has one child who did benefit from mental health support after COVID lockdowns. She supports providers (LWSD  councilors, Y.E.S. EvergreenHealth councilors, NAMI.)  Zahilay organized a stakeholder youth group to focus on solutions.  

Full Disclosure:  I lean towards Balducci because I know her better. I just like her.  I've chatted with her at Redmond City Hall meetings and a Hero House gala, I see her riding a bicycle everywhere; not just for transit awareness but demonstrating that exercise is awesome for mental health. She's the county's representative for EvergreenHealth community hospital, She participates with the community in social media, including my blog.  😊

- Bob Yoder, 10/12/2025

  Sources:  Seattle Times & Seattle/King County League of Women Voters forum, 10/9/25