"The many colors of bipolar mood disorder" Dale Chihuly art (Internet) |
News and Opinion on Neighborhoods, Schools and Local Governments of Redmond, WA.
"The many colors of bipolar mood disorder" Dale Chihuly art (Internet) |
The City of Redmond's lack of good information on Silver Cloud-Redmond homeless housing and Plymouth Housing prompted this post.
Open Government: The Peoples Right To Know
Redmond has three local governments: The City of Redmond, Lake Washington School District and EvergreenHealth Public Hospital. The public has a "right to know" information about their inner workings. Public Record Request forms usually find the information you need. When you don't get good information or it's a hassle finding it, you may feel like the bearded guy in the cartoon!
Below, are helpful links to the Public Record Request forms for each government. In my investigative reporting, I have some good experience with them and their Public Request Offices. I've found the public records office of EvergreenHealth the most professional, the City of Redmond a close second with LWSD in the rear.
REDMOND, WA - The new Redmond Senior & Community Center recently earned the first-ever recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council for sourcing wood from climate-resilient forestry. The Council, which manages the LEED certification process, awarded the building an innovation point during the process and lauded Opsis Architecture and Sustainable NW for verifying that wood came from forests managed sustainably.
“We are honored to receive this historic recognition,” said Mayor Angela Birney. “The senior and community center was designed with environmental sustainability in mind, and it is exciting to know all who walk through these doors will be coming into a place that not only cares about them but cares about the building’s impact on our planet.”
EvergreenHealth Medical Center "Community-owned" |
EvergreenHealth Board Sees Multiple Commissioner Changes Following General Election
KIRKLAND, Wash. – The EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners is bidding two commissioners farewell while congratulating and welcoming three others after the King County General Election in November.
Norman Seabrooks, who retired from Aetna, Inc. after a 47-year career in the health care insurance industry, was elected by the EvergreenHealth community to a six-year term. Seabrooks is taking Position #3 on the EvergreenHealth Board, which was vacated by retiring commissioner Tim McLaughlin. He will be representing Redmond and Sammamish. Norman has lived in Redmond for 22 years, and his entire family receives care at EvergreenHealth.
Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP will assume his new role as CEO of EvergreenHealth on Dec. 10
KIRKLAND, WA – The EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners has appointed Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP, CEO of EvergreenHealth, the community-owned public hospital district and two-hospital healthcare system effective Dec. 10, 2023. Dr. Palazzo assumes the role following the retirement of CEO Jeff Tomlin, MD.
“Over the past 20 years, some of the greatest, as well as most challenging, moments of my personal and professional life have taken place at EvergreenHealth,” said Dr. Palazzo. “It is the honor of a lifetime to work for this organization and serve its community as the next Chief Executive Officer.”
Dr. Palazzo has served EvergreenHealth and its community for 20 years. He joined EvergreenHealth in 2003 as a hospitalist and most recently served as the Chief Medical and Quality Officer.
EvergreenHealth / Seattle Times |
"On February 28, 2020, EvergreenHealth's Kirkland campus became the first hospital in the U.S. to respond to the first known cases of community spread of COVID-19, marking the beginning of the global pandemic in the U.S. Given that we had been actively engaged in disaster readiness planning for many years prior to the pandemic, our hospital system was ready to face the challenge."
Read more about EvergreenHealth's response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
EvergreenHealth Public Hospital |
The proposed North Tower would have:
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:
King County Executive Dow Constantine |
PHOENIX, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Connections Health Solutions, the leading innovator of immediate access behavioral health crisis care, is proud to announce it has secured a location in the 405 Kirkland Corporate Center in Kirkland, WA, for the county's first person-focused, multi-service behavioral health crisis response center. Within a safe, dedicated space for high-quality care, the center will provide a spectrum of care services, from walk-in behavioral health urgent care to continued stabilization, to individuals experiencing all types of behavioral health or substance use crises.
EvergreenHealth Medical Center - supported by District taxpayers |
$2,024 for a Level 4 Visit, $515.00 for intravenous hydration, $1,687 for a CT scan, $270 for an acetaminophen blood level, $270 for a urine toxicology screen, $379.00 for an ECG, $270.00 for an alcohol blood level, $309 for a lactic acid blood level, among other charges, totaling $7,079. (Not counting the radiologist fee.)
My insurance company had a contract with EvergreenHealth which helped. I read somewhere on Evergreen's website tax-payer funds (via the levy) sometimes kick-in when insurance companies can't. Our Emergency Department charges at Overlake were high, as well. It seems ED physicians always need to take a CT; at least for us. We've had four CT's at four visits. Stay out of ED's at all costs (no pun intended.) Go first to Urgent Care or your Primary Care physician, if possible.
As we all know, the cost of healthcare has sky-rocketed everywhere. It's come to the point that people have had to resort "medical credit cards." Yahoo Business has an excellent article on these cards.
-- Bob Yoder, 5/16/2023
May is "Mental Health Awareness Month." Under "comment" (below in blue,) I wrote in detail my recent experience of treatment and recovery at Fairfax Behavioral Health Hospital. I hope you read it. Bob
EvergreenHealth, Supported by District Taxpayers |
Twenty-one staff from the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare 1199 NW spoke to the Board and expressed concerns and complaints regarding:
The guests provided the Board with a stack of letters and notes from union members expressing their concerns and desires. Comm. McLaughlin thanked the guests for attending and providing the Board with their perspectives and assured them that the Board takes their concerns seriously.
Source: EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioner Regular Meeting Minutes, March/April, 2023
-- Posted by Bob Yoder, 5/7/2023
Evergreenhealth |
View our Visitor Guide for maps, information on where to park and location information (zones and floors). Enter the Red Zone from the Emergency OB and Emergency entrance.
- posted by B. Yoder