Water Tenders "Salmon Seeson" Cancelled, No Rain

Water Tender President Susan Wilkins at 
 Issaquah fish hatchery 

Lexie was a member of Water Tenders 

At tour of the Salmon Fish Hatchery with Water Tender President Susan Wilkins.  . 

Every year from September - October during the "Salmon Seeson" you will find the Water Tenders at North Bear Creek educating children, families and adults about the life cycle of salmon.  This Fall was the 4-year cycle for sockeye so we were expecting a good run.  The Water Tenders put up sandwich board signs along Avondale Road to direct viewers to the creek. We usually see a lot of  returning salmon but this year owing to a prolonged drought there were none to be seen so the exhibit was shut down. Usually over 100 viewers walk up the trail to see coho, sockeye and chinook salmon.

Every year the Water Tenders pick up 1-2 Chinook salmon from the Issaquah fish hatchery for their Bear Creel exhibit.  Susan Wilkins, Water Tenders President says," this is an excellent way for viewers to see and touch the gills, scaling, and fins for show and tell."  Here's a picture of Susan at the hatchery standing by two chinook she was saving for the exhibit.

Salmon docent holding chinook 

According to their mission statement, "The Water Tenders are a group of individuals who care about the wetlands and streams in King County. We are your neighbors, friends, and family. All of us are willing donate our time and energy to preserving, protecting and restoring the wonderful natural  heritage of Washington State. We believe that it is our community’s responsibility to be good stewards of our natural resources in order to preserve them for the next generations. Water Tenders was founded in 1989 and is proud to have spearheaded and accomplished many efforts towards those ends."

A few other Water Tenders projects are removal of invasive Knotweed and Blackberry shrubs from wetlands and creeks, monitoring the Western Pearl Schell populations -- an indicator of stream health -- measuring rainfall within the Bear Creek Basin, and activism to protect wetlands and streams from proposed environmental sensitive land-use developments.   

If you'd like more information about the Water Tenders or want to join this non--profit ($25) please e-mail Bob at redmondblog@gmail.com  

 -- Bob Yoder, Fall of 2018
    Photos, Yoder

EvergreenHealth Announces Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer

Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth’s Board of Commissioners announced today its selection of Amy E. Beiter, MD, to lead the Kirkland-based integrated health system as its chief executive officer. The appointment comes after EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte announced his planned retirement from the organization this spring.

Dr. Beiter is a respected senior physician executive with 25 years of experience in the health care field as a leader in both clinical and administrative capacities. She most recently served as president and CEO for Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital in Tucson, Arizona, a 400-bed acute-care hospital within the comprehensive Carondelet Health Network, where she led strategic initiatives resulting in significant transformation and growth. Under Dr. Beiter’s leadership, Carondelet St. Mary’s evolved from a community hospital to a tertiary care hospital providing expanded, increasingly complex services to the Tucson community.

 “Dr. Beiter is a proven, exceptional leader with an impressive career dedicated to serving her community through the development and expansion of services and programs, designed to meet the needs and advance the health of its residents,” said Al DeYoung, chairman, EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners. “This experience will advance a progressive vision for the future of EvergreenHealth and will help us continue to meet the needs of our growing community here in the Puget Sound region. We are honored and extremely pleased to welcome this seasoned executive, with her impressive ability to align the clinical and business aspects of health care, and we are confident that these strengths will guide our health system in realizing our vision of being the community’s most trusted source for health care solutions.”

While at Carondelet, Dr. Beiter was integral to a successful transition in hospital ownership, stabilized operations to achieve financial growth, and expanded the complexity of services provided within the system. During the ownership transition, Dr. Beiter achieved a reduction in turnover rates, retention of management staff and strengthened the organization’s culture to increase physician and employee engagement scores.

Prior to serving as CEO, Dr. Beiter held several clinical leadership positions including a four-year tenure as chief medical officer at Carondelet St. Mary’s. As CMO, her collaborative, evidence-based approach drove measurable improvement across key quality metrics and patient experience scores, which helped the organization solidify its position among Healthgrades’ top 5 percent of hospitals in the country for quality.

She was also medical director for utilization management at St. Mary’s, a role in which she successfully developed programs to address changes and challenges in compliance, reimbursement and length of stay management.

After completing a combined internal medicine and pediatric residency, Dr. Beiter practiced both specialties in inpatient and outpatient settings for many years. She subsequently became a hospitalist and eventually served as her group’s lead physician.

Throughout her career, Dr. Beiter has remained highly engaged in her community, volunteering her time and expertise as a board director for the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona American Heart Association, Catholic Community Services, Arizona Health Information Exchange and other organizations.

She was named among an esteemed list of Most Influential Women by Arizona Business, and Becker’s Hospital Review has recognized her as a “Physician Leaders of Hospital and Health Systems to know” and as a “Women Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know.”

Dr. Beiter earned a Bachelor of Science at Purdue University and attended medical school at Indiana University, where she received her medical degree. She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management.

The selection of Dr. Beiter followed a four-month national search by the EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners that included the screening of hundreds of highly qualified candidates. She and her family are in the process of preparing for their relocation to the Pacific Northwest and she is expected to officially join EvergreenHealth on August 22, 2018. Malte will remain with the organization until Dr. Beiter’s transition is complete and the Board of Commissioners has retained him in an advisory capacity through March 2019.

Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run

REDMOND, WA – Law enforcement personnel from the Redmond Police Department will be joining officers from across the nation to escort the “Flame of Hope” torch to the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg® 

Before competition begins on July 2, an elite group of law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes will escort the Special Olympics “Flame of Hope” on a journey across Washington State. From June 27 through July 1, 47 law enforcement officers representing 47 states, along with six Special Olympics athletes, will make up the prestigious “Final Leg” team for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Law Enforcement Torch Run®.

LETTER: The city should reconsider fluoridating our water

Mr. Welton wrote the Mayor of the negative health effects from putting fluoride in our drinking water.  Below, is the Mayor's response and a copy of Mr. Welton's letter.  

Mr. Welton,

Thank you for the article you sent for review along with your request for the City of Redmond to reconsider adding fluoride to its drinking water. I want to assure you that I do appreciate your concern.

Staff and I understand that fluoride has been controversial for many years, with countless studies and activists both for and against the ionic compound being added to water. In reviewing the article you provided, the basis of concerns comes from studies conducted in China on the effect of naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water where concentrations are much greater than 1.0 mg/l.

As you may know, the City’s well water that serves roughly 40 percent of Redmond has naturally occurring fluoride, as most natural water does. A small amount is added to reach a level of 0.7 mg/l, which meets the City’s community fluoridation objective set forth by the Department of Health. Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a news release to recommend a slightly lower optimal level (from 1.0 mg/l to 0.7 mg/l) of fluoride in drinking water because Americans now have increased access to fluoride from other sources such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

Redmond follows the guiding principles of the Primary Drinking Water Regulations to meet the guidelines of the Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The safety and effectiveness of fluoridation of public drinking water has been studied for over 65 years, and the City has been adding fluoride to its drinking water since 1975. (About 60 percent of Redmond's drinking water is purchased from Seattle, and a 1968 referendum vote directed Seattle to fluoridate its drinking water.)

The fluoride used in treatment meets the quality and safety standards of the American National Standards Institute and the American Water Works Association. The most respected health agencies in the world, including The American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, the American Water Works Association, the CDC, and the World Health Association, continue to support this public health practice. The CDC encourages all public water systems to fluoridate to protect people from tooth decay and dental disease. Nationally, just shy of 80 percent of all drinking water is fluoridated.

The City will continue to monitor the research and required standards to see if the recommended concentration of fluoride in drinking water is lowered and will respond accordingly.

John Marchione, Mayor, City of Redmond

###

Dear Mayor Marchione,

First of all, thank you for answering this E-Mail about the negatives of fluoride in our drinking water. I’m skeptical as to whether the any efficacy or safety studies have been performed since:

1) Study after study is coming out, numerous of them I have sent to you in the past, showing the harm that is caused by fluoride including dentalfluorosis and osteofluorosis as well as may be linked to Hashimoto’s Disease causing elevated cholesterol and underactive thyroid.

As a child I was riddled with cavities and had three root canals. As an adult, I continued with issues until I started taking better care of my teeth but still had a cavity or two a year. About 7 years ago I quit drinking city water, quit using fluoridated toothpaste, and started a regular regimen of brushing and flossing twice a day. My first visit to a dentist in well over four years resulted in significantly reduced Periodontal Pockets and no cavities. Yes this is anecdotal evidence but it is the case. I take thyroid replacement medication daily for treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease, my thyroid has returned to normal activity and cholesterol is down significantly. Elevated Cholesterol led me to take Crestor which is a Statin Drug. There are numerous Statin Drugs on the market and they all have the same possible side effect, Type II Diabetes. Since being Diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I’ve quit taking Statin Drugs but I believe it is too late and the harm caused is permanent. So to recap, since being off most of the fluoride in the average American’s life I have less cavities. I have Hashimoto’s Disease that could have been caused by fluoride, the Hashimoto’s Disease caused elevated Cholesterol which caused me to be prescribed a statin drug that most likely caused Type II diabetes.

EvergreenHealth receives "A" Grade for Patient Safety

Kirkland, Wash. – The Leapfrog Group, a leading national nonprofit watchdog on hospital quality and safety, today announced that EvergreenHealth received an “A” for patient safety in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. It is one of only 11 hospitals in Washington and 750 of 2,660 nationwide to achieve an A rating this spring.

“At EvergreenHealth, our more than 5,000 employees, providers and volunteers are dedicated to what we call our Community of Absolute Safety,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte. “This dedication helps to ensure our patients receive the safest care, with the best quality and most exceptional service – it is at the core of what inspires us. We are proud that this commitment has resulted in earning the highest rating from The Leapfrog Group once again; however, recognition is not what drives us. We are continually focused on partnering with our patients to achieve the best outcomes.”

EvergreenHealth CEO, Robert Malte, Announces Retirement Plans

Robert "Bob" Malte CEO
EvergreenHealth

Kirkland, Wash. – Robert “Bob” Malte today announced he plans to retire from his position as Chief Executive Officer of EvergreenHealth, by the end of 2018, after nearly eight years in the role and a 42-year career in health care leadership.

“Bob has been at the helm of our system during a period of immense growth and change,” said Al DeYoung, chairman, EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners. “We are grateful for his exceptional leadership, commitment to our organization, and dedication to advancing the health and well-being of this community, alongside our over 5,000 employees, providers and volunteers.”

In a message to staff today, Malte shared: “This was a difficult decision and one that I have been contemplating for a while. I love EvergreenHealth, my work, the people, and all that we have accomplished together. I know I will miss my work here and all of you who make EvergreenHealth such an amazing organization – both to me and to our entire community.

“Yet, I am also ready to pursue aspirations not yet fulfilled in my life, and to pay it forward. These include teaching health administration at the graduate level, volunteering in the community, and most importantly, spending more time with my wife Susi and our family, here in the Northwest where we’ve made our home.”

During his tenure as CEO, EvergreenHealth has gained both regional and national recognition as one of the top health systems for its performance and commitment to quality, safety, service, and value. For nine of the past 10 years, Healthgrades recognized the hospital among the top 5 percent in the nation for clinical excellence, and for the past two years, it was rated among the top 2 percent. EvergreenHealth was also the first in the state to receive a five-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, among many other awards and achievements.

Under Malte’s leadership, EvergreenHealth also expanded substantially into a two-hospital system, with a 310-provider multispecialty medical group, 12 primary care locations and five urgent care locations, as well as becoming the largest home care and home hospice network in the Puget Sound region.

UPDATED: School Board Meeting News

It's possible but not confirmed the Board may put bond & levy measures on the ballot later this year or next. 

In the March 5th Board meeting comment period Martha DeAmicis, a very active parent on the 2017 Bond Committee, recommended 5 actions the district could take to improve the chances of approving a bond / levy measure if put on the ballot:  

1) The superintendents go on a "listening tour" to ask for feedback.
2)  Conduct an online survey to obtain anonymous feedback.
3)  Convene  a community committee advisory group composed of non-parents to listen to concerns; and so they can have insight into the intricacies of passing bond measures.  
4)  Meet with elected and community leaders for feedback.
5)  Create a task force of stakeholders to come up with a plan.

Martha recommended adding as much student space/dollar and investing in safety.  She prefers creating more Choice school space so students from comprehensive schools (like Redmond high) don't have to apply through a lottery.  

In the March 19th Board meeting Director Mark Stuart brought attention to how some in the community are accusing the District of building "Taj-Mahal" schools,  He referenced the $12,379,445 Peter Kirk remodel/rebuild as value-engineered  to net $1,999,846 in savings. (The Board approved 10 of 20 construction related proposals.)  He referenced the $13,708,872 Mead El rebuild as value-engineered to net $1.3M in savings citing 8 approved projects.  He gave a caveat that inflation and steel tariffs would contribute to additional costs. Stuart summarized that environmental health and safety would not be carried "on the backs of students while sharpening the pencil." 

Board Vice President Stuart also had some questions about the new Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center partnership with the City of Redmond.  He said the Center could provide an excellent location for Academy One and Two being closer to employers.  In addition the present Academy location at Kamiakin is poorly plumbed.  Stuart asked to see the floor plan.  Associate Superintendent Barbara Postumous said first and second floors are available for pre-school.  The city leases the first floor.  

School Board President Siri Bliesner runs a very efficient meeting.  

-- B. Yoder, opinion

Source:  Board Meeting videos  

EvergreenHealth offers resources for healthcare costs

What Will Your Care Cost?

Our commitment is to be your partner in health and to provide our community access to high quality health care at a great value. To help you make the best decisions about your health care, we embrace transparency. The resources offered here will provide you with a deeper understanding about your healthcare costs. You can even reach out to us to discuss your individual questions and obtain a personalized estimate for your out-of-pocket cost.

Call or email us for your personalized price estimate.

Robert H. Malte
CEO

We welcome your request for a price estimate related to your upcoming treatment at EvergreenHealth!  Call to speak to a member of our Patient Financial Services team, who will provide an estimate* based on your services and your health insurance provider, including the specifics of your coverage plan. 

Things to know about your request…

• It is helpful to know the CPT code of your procedure (your provider can give this to you). If your procedure is already scheduled, our staff may be able to help get this code for you.
• Please allow up to 24 hours for some estimates as it may take extra time to obtain certain information related to your request.

EvergreenHealth is Among Top 5% of Hospitals Nationwide for Clinical Performance

EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kirkland, WA

Healthgrades names health system to its Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ list for the ninth time in 10 years

Kirkland, Wash. – Today, Healthgrades released its annual Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ list, with EvergreenHealth named one of just 250 hospitals nationwide to receive the prestigious award in 2018.

EvergreenHealth has earned the award from Healthgrades for the ninth time in 10 years. The distinction places the Kirkland-based health system among the top 5 percent of nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for its superior clinical performance.

Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, announced the award along with data on clinical outcomes, risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complication rates to recognize the nation’s top-performing hospitals.

Over the last year, EvergreenHealth has earned several other Healthgrades recognitions, including its America’s 100 Best™ hospitals award for stroke care, pulmonary care, critical care, gastrointestinal care and general surgery, and in 2017 joined Healthgrades’ elite group of America’s 100 Best Hospitals™, which represent the top 2 percent of hospitals across the country for consistent quality care.

UPDATED: Seattle Times Columnist's Testimony Of His Mental Illness

For over 40 years I've lived with mood swings wherein suicide ideation or completion is about 10 times greater then the general population.  I'm treated with 3 medications by an excellent doctor at Overlake  (EvergreenHealth is a public hospital though it's not yet announced they employ psychiatrists.)  The following is a "Seattle Times" article by Columnist Matt Calkins describing his personal experience and challenges of  poor brain health. He was interviewed by Q13 last week.  I met Matt last year at the NAMI Legislative Candidate Forum. He's a great guy!  Bob Yoder , 11/20/19

BY MATT CALKINS

My last appointment with a psychiatrist was two weeks ago, when we talked mostly about relationships. It was far more pleasant than previous sessions, in which topics ranged from depression to insomnia to suicidal thoughts.

My brain, you see, hasn’t always been good to me. It has been known to cripple me with anxiety or sink me with despair.  [Lord knows I’ve been there. When Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau killed himself in 2012, I penned a column describing my own suicidal fantasies.]

Fortunately, the people I’ve turned to for help have been great to me — talking me through hardships, offering coping strategies and, yes, prescribing medication.

Right now I’m on an antidepressant called Pristiq, which I pair with a more benign drug called Buspirone. And after experimenting with other medications such as Effexor, Lexapro and Remeron, I think I’ve found the combo that suits me best.

I feel good now, really, but I’ll likely have to treat my mental health for the rest of my life. So why am I telling ypu this?

Simple — because there shouldn’t be a stigma attached to admitting this stuff

Updated: Sears store in Overlake urban center proposed for major redevelopment

By Tom Hinman, Facilitator

Imagine Overlake

For those of you who wondered what was to become of the Sears site in Overlake, here's the answer.  The development company Seritage has proposed a project that covers a 14 acre parcel that includes a park (over the new storm water vault) in a master planned mixed use development. View the project design HERE.  It's amazing.  The project, known as Heritage Place, has been approved by the Design Review Board per information linked below and will be the subject of an initial Redmond City Council study session on January 23rd.  There will be another study session on March and a public hearing on this development a bit later on.

EvergreenHealth Named One of America's 100 Best Hospitals in Five Specialties

Of note EvergreenHealth doesn't have a mental health care specialty. 

Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth today announced it has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best™ hospitals in five specialties: stroke care, pulmonary care, gastrointestinal care, general surgery and critical care. These achievements are part of findings released this week in the Healthgrades 2018 Report to the Nation, which studies clinical performance indicators nationwide to illuminate differences in care between high- and low-performing hospitals.

This is the fifth consecutive year EvergreenHealth ranks among Healthgrades’ 100 Best™ hospitals for pulmonary care and for gastrointestinal care, and the fourth straight year of recognition for general surgery. It is also the third year in a row the health system earned the distinction for both critical care and stroke care.

UPDATED: Mayor Marchione stimulates talk on mental health and substance abuse recovery

Mayor Marchione read a proclamation last week to recognize September as "National Recovery Month"   The purpose is to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover. 

I know something about mental health disorders. For three years I sold an SSRI for OCD, slow-release Ritalin for ADHD and  sustained-release lithium for bipolar disorder.   Poor mental health is rampant in my family, especially on my mother's side. Many of my relatives have recovered (myself included) some better than others, with the exception of my younger brother Rick. He died at 46, from complications of severe bipolar disorder, co-morbid alcoholism, and prescription drug self-medication.

The Eastside has many good recovery and treatment programs.  Kent Hay, Redmond's Outreach Specialist provides psychiatric and social services for the vulnerable and homeless. Youth Eastside Services, Friends of Youth, HERO House. NAMI Eastside and other Eastside non-profits have recovery programs. - Therapeutic Health Services in Bellevue offers opioid  addiction treatment.. 425-328-3757

I can't stress highly enough the importance of finding a science-oriented doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Overlake Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic in Bellevue provides excellent doctors (20) who accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.

EvergreenHealth doesn't employ psychiatrists or psychiatric nurses or have an out-patient clinic. However, they provide an "In-Home" program operated by trained social workers.. Evergreen opened a 14-bed "Transitional Care Unit" this year to attend to  their Emergency Department patients awaiting transfer to a mental health facility..In the past some of these patients had to be "boarded." (strapped to a gurney for hours or even days.) 

Evergreen is a public hospital and supported in part, by King County taxes. Unfortunately. this year the State legislature reduced mental health funding in King County by over 8% from last year.  Washington State has the lowest access to mental healthcare in the Nation!

There's far to little "talk" to mitigate the stigma associated with poor brain health. Discrimination in the workplace occurs. Doctors, medications, counseling and family support can only go so far and it's easy to lose hope or courage. Spiritual support can help a lot.. Two churches on the Eastside offer support programs. A group in Bothell meets once a month at St. Brandon's Catholic Church.  The  "Celebrate Recovery" group at Overlake Christian Church on Willows Road in Redmond has an excellent program. They meet every Tuesday at 7 pm  About 125 citizens attend their meetings. 

One in five Americans have a mental health condition and only half are treated.  Please tell your friends and neighbors about the recovery programs available in our community and celebrate with those who have recovered!

Bob Yoder 

Redmond Historical Society launches 2017 - 2018 Speaker series

The Redmond Historical Society hosts six speakers a year (September - November  and February - April ) Programs are scheduled on the second Saturday of each month, 10:30 am - noon in the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. The programs are free and  donations are encouraged. Patricia Bailey is the first speaker this year.



Saturday, September 9, 2017 @ 10:30 AM

Washington’s Healthcare Pioneer: Group Health Cooperative

Patricia Bailey

Marketing and Communications Strategist

Kaiser Permanente

"Group Health: An Early Voice for Affordable Care"

LWPTSA Council Year in Review

Liz Hedreen, LWPTSA Council President The LWPTSA Council mission is to serve as a relevant resource to the local PTAs, families and community members within the Lake Washington School District through training, support, and guidance, and to advocate for the health, well-being, and education of every child. Towards that end, here is a review of what Council has done this year to move us towards our mission and goals. Advocacy  - Supported all of our PTAs in their advocacy efforts - Attended Legislative Assembly - Hired a bus and set up meetings with many legislators at Focus Day - Organized a "Thank you" postcard campaign to our legislators - Organized Brown Bag and other events bringing legislators and other advocacy experts to speak with our community

UPDATED: Writing Your Way to Happiness

Credit/ "Well"  

By TARA PARKER-POPE

 JANUARY 19, 2015 5:30 PM
The scientific research on the benefits of so-called expressive writing is surprisingly vast. Studies have shown that writing about oneself and personal experiences can improve mood disorders,  [Writing my blog helps me] help reduce symptoms among cancer patients, improve a person’s health after a heart attack, reduce doctor visits and even boost memory.

Now researchers are studying whether the power of writing — and then rewriting — your personal story can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. [I do this on my blog.  I "update" all the time.]

The concept is based on the idea ] we all have a personal narrative that shapes our view of the world and ourselves. But sometimes our inner voice doesn’t get it completely right. Some researchers believe that by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand[ in the way of better health.

It may sound like self-help nonsense, but research suggests the effects are real.

READ MORE to find a personal story at the end of this article

Updated: Kim Allen's last council meeting -- eleven remarkable years of public service

Ms. Kim Allen's last Council meeting, retiring after 11 years of service.

I best remember Kim when she was on the Ive's Planning Commission deliberating the Critical Areas Ordinance Update.  Lately, Kim's been heavily involved in regional transportation and growth issues, but I'll always remember her as a spokesperson for the environment -- our trees, streams, wetlands and open spaces.

Kim was the only councilmember voting against waiving the long standing 35% tree retention ordinance for the massive Group Health - Overlake project.

Quite a few of my stories and reports about Kim are tagged here. and more will be added as I find them. (I'm editing them for accuracy, spelling, grammar, formatting,and sentence structure.)

It's been a helluva run.  Thanks for all you've done for us Kim.

Bob

EvergreenHealth's Board of Commissioners Appoints Tim McLaughlin as its Newest Member

Experienced financial executive and long-time Redmond resident fills Redmond/Sammamish board seat

Kirkland, Wash. – Last night, EvergreenHealth’s Board of Commissioners formally appointed Tim McLaughlin as its newest board member. After a thorough search and selection process, the board selected Mr. McLaughlin to fill the seat that represents the Redmond/Sammamish area. The position was held formerly by Auggie Kempf, who announced his retirement in September.

Mr. McLaughlin brings an abundance of professional and community experience to the board.

“Tim has an impressive business and financial background, combined with decades of experience as a trusted community leader,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte. “His experience managing the financial, procedural and business functions for national organizations will be a tremendous asset to our organization as we continue to expand our services and offer exceptional care to the communities we serve.”-

About Tim McLaughlin:

Mr. McLaughlin is an experienced financial executive currently serving as chief financial officer of SightLife, a global health organization with a mission to eliminate corneal blindness, and its subsidiary, SightLife Surgical. Over the last decade at SightLife, McLaughlin oversaw a $50 million operating budget and is responsible for accounting, treasury, financial reporting, facilities, information technology and purchasing functions.

He brings more than 35 years of financial experience across multiple industries, and his former positions include: CFO of Eddie Bauer; vice president and controller for AT&T Wireless Services; and CFO of National Cash Register Corporation’s microelectronics division.

Another one bites the dust

According to Chat Cafe facebook group, these trees were leveled today to make room for an "extended-stay hotel."  This project is south of Home Depot, and south of the cemetery near the almost completed Hampton Inn.    Photo credit:  Julie Meghj

City Code regulating tree retention

To inquire, comment or complain email the City Ombuds. at council@redmond.gov  or attend the 7:30 pm meeting on Tuesday, Nov 1st, City Hall  and comment or complain directly to the Council and Mayor -- you'll have 4 minutes.

The City's "Project Viewer"  ("Woodspring Suites")

The owner of this land has every right to build his project as long as he follows the City's tree retention and building codes.

However, I 'm still appalled the City approved the clear-cut of ALL 1000  trees on the Group Health site.  And, I was surprised Council member Kim Allen, a land-use attorney, didn't openly represent the people prior to the clear-cut. It's my understanding she campaigned specifically about her expertise and voice on these issues.  Comments are welcome.  

EvergreenHealth Named One of America's 100 Best Hospitals in Five Specialties

Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth today announced it has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best™ hospitals in five specialties: stroke care, pulmonary care, critical care, gastrointestinal care and general surgery. These achievements are part of findings released this week in the Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation, which studies clinical performance indicators nationwide, offering patients data-based resources to make informed decisions about physicians and hospitals.