EvergreenHealth Named One of America's 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care

 The health system is among Healthgrades’ nationally ranked top hospitals in four specialty areas

 Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth announced today that it has been named among America’s 100 Best™ hospitals in several specialty care areas by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. The health system once again earned recognition for excellence in stroke care, pulmonary care, gastrointestinal care, and general surgery, as part of Healthgrades’ 2021 Report to the Nation. 

Updated: The First Inhabitants Of Redmond

In meetings, Redmond City Council, led by CM Vanessa Kritzer and CM Jessica Forsythe, are recognizing the Salish tribe as being the original inhabitants of Redmond. CM Varisha Kahn came up with the idea.  I'm not sure what this has to do with governance but I certainly find this honorable and a kind acknowledgement of our indigenous.  Below, is some background on the Salish tribes in our area -- we have many:  Sammamish, Squak, Snoqualmie, and Duwamish. The Lower Bear Creek restoration identified the presence of  Muckleshoot, Tulalip and Stillaguamish tribes. All are Salish. 

It appears the Sammamish tribe may have been named after the Great Blue Heron - "our species of local importance."

-- Bob Yoder

The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in British Columbia, Canada and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. ... The Coast Salish are a large, loose grouping of many tribes with numerous distinct cultures and languages. The Sammamish (/səˈmæmɪʃ/; indigenously, [t͡saˈpaːbʃ]) people were a Coast Salish Native American tribe in the Sammamish River Valley in central King County, Washington. 

Their name is variously translated as ssts'p-abc ("meander dwellers", a group residing around Bothell),^[2] s-tah-PAHBSH ("willow people") or as Samena ("hunter people"), which was corrupted into Sammamish.^[3] According to Hitchman, it does not mean "hunter people", the name is derived from samma, meaning "the sound of the blue crane" and mish, meaning "river." The name may have originated with the Snoqualmie—some tribal members once lived along the lake near the bottom of Inglewood Hill—but this has not been verified.^[4] They were also known to early European-American settlers as "Squak", "Simump", and "Squowh.",^[5] Squak is a corruption of sqwa'ux, meaning Issaquah Creek, which was a village site on Sammamish Lake. They were closely related to the Duwamish, and have often been considered a Duwamish sub-group as part of the Xacuabš ("People of the Large Lake") who lived near Lake Washington. Like the Duwamish, the Sammamish originally spoke a southern dialect of Lushootseed.

Salish Indian religious beliefs focus chiefly on guardian spirits. Guardian spirit, supernatural teacher, frequently depicted in animal form, who guides an individual in every important activity through advice and songs; the belief in guardian spirits is widely diffused among the North American Indians.

Wikipedia, 12/8/2020

Highly Visible Eight-Story Development Coming To Downtown

Nelson Legacy Group is the owner and developer of this project.  Mr. Nelson owns *20 additional acres in Redmond which he plans to develop.

This building is highly visible. Eight stories.  Boundaries:  Adjacent to the Downtown Park,  Chevron gas station and Jimmy Johns to the west, Redmond Way to the South. On the east Aqua-Quick, Grand Peking Restaurant, and Dark Horse Brew will be demolished.  1.4 acres. 80052 -161 Av. NE.  

Eight stories, 244 mixed use multi-family units, 4316 s.f. commercial, 221 parking spaces (21 spaces are free for commercial/retail use within the building. Minimum 25 affordable units (meets code.)

A one story bonus for eight stories was granted for provisions of 20 percent on-site usable open space in the form of plazas, arcades with water features that are accessible to the public during extended business hours. The amenities are on the project site or within the zone in which the building is located. The applicant will provide 22,700 sf of open space whereas 12,180 sf is the minimum required in-order to achieve the additional building height to eight stories.

* I find this hard to believe.

Source:  Design Development Review memo, 11/6/2020

Administration Of Pfizer Vaccine Expected In Washington By Mid-December

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts. First Vaccine Arrival We are hopeful we will have a vaccine to begin administering by mid-December. The federal government has given us an estimate of 62,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for our initial allocation. They have also told us we should receive an estimated total of around 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of December.  Regular weekly shipments should begin in January. Vaccine safety is of the utmost importance to our communities in Washington. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet December 10th to review the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application submitted by Pfizer on November 20th. An EUA allows the FDA to make a product available during a declared state of emergency before it has a full license. If the EUA is approved, the vaccine will then be vetted by the Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, as part of the Western States Pact. The review by this workgroup will provide another layer of scrutiny and expert review to this process and should take about 1 to 2 days. This will be done while the vaccine is still being processed and shipped, so it should not cause any delay in making vaccine available to people in Washington. WA DOH Press Release, 12/3/2020

Trail Bypass For Sammamish River Trail To Last Two-years For Construction Of Future Light Rail

 Delays on the Sammamish River Trail for tree removal

Beginning Friday 12/4 to Friday 12/11

Sound Transit starts construction this week on a temporary bypass for the Sammamish River Trail near the underpass of SR 520 in Redmond. This bypass will route trail users around Sound Transit’s construction area near the Sammamish River for construction of the future light rail guideway over the river as part of the Downtown Redmond Link Extension Project. This trail bypass is expected to be in place for approximately two years.

The Sammamish River Trail will remain open during the majority of construction of this bypass. Tree removal adjacent to the trail is scheduled for Friday 12/4 to Friday 12/11 and may result in up to 10 minute delays to protect trail users from falling debris.

The trail is scheduled to be closed for three nights between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday 1/4/21 to Wednesday 1/6/21 to complete the tie-in between this temporary bypass and the existing Sammamish River Trail. 

---

After completion of the bypass (in late January), trail visitors should expect to proceed with caution along the detour bypass above. Occasionally, Sound Transit will be crossing the trail bypass with heavy construction equipment requiring a short delay for trail users. When this occurs, flaggers will be in place to safely control trail traffic.

For more information read more about Sound Transit’s Downtown Redmond Link Extension or contact Ryan Bianchi, Community Outreach Specialist

12/2/2020 Sound Transit

Light Rail Extension Construction To Be Completed In 2021; Open For Service In 2023

Crews will complete construction in 2021, so why won’t the light rail open for service until 2023?

Great question! Testing the trains on the tracks at various speeds and frequencies is crucial to ensuring safe travel once service begins.

Safety certification is the critical final step. This includes tests, inspections and approvals from fire departments and others to ensure that our system will operate safely and efficiently once opened.

During the testing period, you will see light rail trains running on the tracks during different times of the day. Sound Transit will provide more information as this gets closer, but please remember:

• Only cross at designated crosswalks and signalized intersections
• Obey all traffic signs and signals
• Always watch and check for trains when you are near tracks

All stations are on their way to completion.

-- Facebook, 12/1/2020

Senior Center - Going, Going, Gone

 Reinke, 11/24/2020

Senior Center is demolished

On the second day of the Senior Center demolition, this lady with baby carriage strolls past the Center towards the Sammamish River Trail. On the first day Mayor Birney showed up for a photo op with a golden sledgehammer.  

- Photo Reinke  11/20/2020

Redmond Police Cars Changing Colors

The City is changing the color of their police cars from the present silver & navy to black.  This was news to the Council.  Apparently, the Mayor and staff made this change without including Council in the decision.  Three councilmembers openly didn't like the change. CM Jessica Forsythe said black is an intimidating color associated with military and is not compatible with the Redmond's welcoming character.  CM David Carson didn't like it at all though understood the reasons for it (cost.)  CM Vanessa Kritzer agreed with Mr. Carson.  

-- Council Committee of the Whole, 11/17

Bob Yoder

Redmond's "Species Of Local Importance"

 

Do you know the Great Blue Heron is Redmond's "Species Of Local Importance?"  Do you why it's taking this pose?  Leave a comment below to register your response.

Photo by John Reinke

Sammamish River 90th Street Stormwater run-off Pond

Council Considers Hiring A Public Safety Levy Consultant

Well, it looks like Council is seriously considering a Public Safety Levy in 2021.  How do I know this?  Tonight in a Study Session the Finance Director recommended funding a  Public Safety Levy Consultant, $150,000 one-time.  The levy will pay for existing costs, not hiring additional officers and equipment. Overtime expenses must be significant.  

I  find it very hard to believe the City needs a highly paid consultant to assemble a levy.

Bob Yoder, opinion

-- 11/10/2020

Mayor Birney's 2020 State Of The City Address To OneRedmond

Mayor Birney has a terrific background with lots of experience.  Angela was Council President 2018-1019, Chair of the Parks and Trails Commission, and is: King County Regional Executive Board, Sound Cities Association Board, Cascade Regional Alliance Board, Hopelink Board, King County Regional Homeless Board, AND more!

11/10/2020

King County "First In Line" For Federally Approved COVID-19 Vaccine

Councilmember Reagan Dunn proposes budget amendment to put King County residents ‘first in line’ for federally approved COVID-19 vaccine.

 Acting on the national news today of the possibility of a promising COVID-19 vaccine, King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn proposed a budget amendment to King County’s COVID Supplemental Budget that would add $5 million of Cares Act money to buttress state and federal efforts to distribute a vaccine as soon as it is federally approved. 

This funding would be in addition to promised state and federal dollars and it would be earmarked for the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health and local health care providers throughout King County. The money would help to get a vaccine, once approved, out to our citizens as soon as possible. 

“The budget amendment will help to put King County residents first in line for any vaccine that is ultimately developed, tested and approved for distribution by the Federal Government,” Dunn said. “King County must continue to strengthen our Public Health infrastructure to ensure that people who wish to be vaccinated can do so as soon as it is available. King County wants to be on our toes, not our heels when a vaccine is ultimately ready for manufacture and distribution to our citizens, and this is the vital first step.”   

In addition to supporting Public Health infrastructure, the money would also be used to make sure that our private health care systems throughout the region are in the best position possible to aid in the vaccination process.

“We know that inventing a vaccine is only half of the challenge,” Dunn said. “The other half is the manufacturing and distribution of it. We need to make sure King County has an efficient and aggressive plan for the widespread vaccinations for everyone who want one.”

The King County Council is expected to vote on the fifth COVID Supplemental budget this week.

11/10/2020

EvergreenHealth Supports COVID-19 Testing

 EvergreenHealth Opens New Molecular Laboratory to Support COVID-19 Testing

 

Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth held the grand opening of its new in-house molecular testing laboratory on October 15. The new lab will support EvergreenHealth’s non-urgent COVID-19 testing needs and will increase testing output for the health system by more than 270 tests per day, making COVID-19 testing more readily available to Kirkland and the surrounding Eastside community.

The new lab will use Applied Biosystems technology (ABI) in conjunction with its current testing platform, Cepheid GeneXpert. Together these two systems will be able to run more than 300 COVID-19 tests per day and deliver results to patients within approximately 24 hours. Prior to introducing the ABI technology, the lab was able to process between 20 and 30 tests per day.

 “I’m incredibly proud of our dedicated team, who in just 10 short weeks was able to open our new in-house COVID-19 testing site,” said Troy Harrell, Manager of Lab Technology Operations & Quality. “Expanding access to accurate, timely COVID-19 testing is critical to local and regional prevention efforts – and with this innovative technology, we will more efficiently and effectively serve our community, as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together.”

Testing with ABI technology is performed in batches of up to 94 patient specimens at a time. Typically, a single testing batch takes a few hours to complete, which includes specimen prep, RNA extraction, PCR amplification and data analysis—all of which are essential to providing accurate and comprehensive test results. The ABI system can perform up to three batches per day.

 While the new molecular lab will solely be dedicated to COVID-19 testing needs for the time being, the technology will be instrumental in improving testing capabilities for a wide variety of infectious diseases, cancer markers, genetic abnormalities and much more for the Eastside community.

The day after Halloween near the Senior  Center - by John Reinke

OPINION: City Of Redmond Should Lighten Up

Dear Mayor and Council - 

Strongsville, Ohio is a vibrant suburban city of 45,000, a short distance from Cleveland.  https//www.strongsville.org. They've taken the following measures to firm up their finances in response to COVID pressures.  The following is an excerpt from the Strongsville, OH website:

"To help combat the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the City of Strongsville’s tax revenues, all full-time city employees not covered under a collective bargaining agreement – as well as the mayor, department heads, service department workers and building inspectors -- will be placed on a 32-hour work week starting ___, resulting in an eight-hour weekly furlough (a 20 percent pay reduction).

The furlough will not affect police, firefighters or dispatchers. All three operations will remain ready to respond. 

Service Department personnel will be scheduled so that workers are available to respond to any potential emergencies.

The furloughs will stay in effect until at least ___. when the city’s finances will be evaluated and a decision made about returning to normal hours. We apologize for any inconvenience."

City Council, this is budget season - please take similar actions to steady our tax revenues. 

--Thank you, Bob

   10/30/2020

City Reimagines Redmond Lights In Response to COVID

REDMOND, WA - This year's Redmond Lights will celebrate hope, joy, arts, and light while adhering to the State’s Safe Start Plan. With the inability to gather and hold events, the City of Redmond has reimagined Redmond Lights to be a month-long art and light installation at Downtown Park. Art and light installations are sponsored by Microsoft, BECU, and Evergreen Healthcare. 

With a generous sponsorship from Redmond Town Center, Cleveland Street and 164th Ave NE will be lit to lead visitors to Redmond Town Center, where the experience continues with visits with Santa and more. The installations will be in place from December 4, 2020, to January 3, 2021. 

Using a free smart phone app, visitors will take a self-guided tour through the experience. Traditional elements that included the tree lighting, performances, booths, and large gatherings will not occur this year. Instead, the City of Redmond invites visitors to #LetItGlowRedmond. 

Businesses surrounding Downtown Park and at Redmond Town Center are invited to decorate their windows, sponsored by Minuteman Press Redmond, and participate as “Blinker Stops,” where visitors can get their exclusive 2020 Redmond Lights blinker, sponsored by Experience Redmond. Residents will be invited to share their home light displays and vote on their favorite entries. 

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our opportunities to gather, spreading light, hope, and joy in the community is even more important,” says Mayor Angela Birney. “This year will showcase art and light installations that will help connect our community, even when we are physically distanced.” 

Outdoor Spinning Classes At Redmond Town Center

These spinning clases are being held outside on a breezway at Redmond Town Center. Great exercise! Do you see any potential COVID isssues - masks? physical distancing? group cluster? Personally, I'm not concerned but it's something to consider by the participants. -- Bob Yoder

Happy Halloween!

Rest assured, you are not alone - the zombies are with you....The true intent of the sign is to give comfort to those suffering from the mental illness and suicide attributed COVID and other stressors. These signs are all over town, especially Ed. Hill. 

-- Bob Yoder, Ed Hill

Trick Or Treat!

Reinke, 10/22/2020

City Buildings Shuttered

Reinke, 10/22/2020