Leading By Example: Emergency Preparedness in Our Community

As a public hospital district, EvergreenHealth prioritizes emergency preparedness as an important part of our mission to advance the health of everyone in our community. In the event of a natural disaster, pandemic or other emergency, we're committed to keeping our patients and our surrounding community safe. We've spent decades investing in disaster readiness and laying the groundwork to be a viable resource when our community needs us most.

We proved our commitment to emergency preparedness in 2020 when EvergreenHealth became the first hospital in the U.S. to treat a large influx of patients with COVID-19. Read more about our response to the pandemic here.

EvergreenHealth is a leader in the region in emergency preparedness, consistently recognized among the hospitals with the most robust investments in preparedness in the state. That's due in large part to our team of experienced professionals who ensure EvergreenHealth is prepared for every emergency and advocate for our surrounding community on the local, regional and statewide level.

Additionally, EvergreenHealth is an active participant and leader in Washington State's Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (DMAC), a statewide group of 15 stakeholders committed to looking at emergency preparedness on a statewide level. We're also recognized as leaders in King County's Disaster Clinical Advisory Committee, a group of stakeholders responsible for making recommendations on how to prioritize resources in the wake of a regional emergency.

Below are crucial areas in which we're well-equipped to support the community in an emergency:

Structural Readiness

While emergencies and disasters can take many forms, one critical focus of EvergreenHealth's planning is earthquake preparedness. In the event of a large-scale earthquake, like the 9.0+ magnitude “Cascadia” earthquake that is predicted to hit the region within our lifetime, EvergreenHealth is prepared to provide critical emergency health care services to those in our community and beyond.

According to researchers, the EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland sits on bedrock in one of the best geographical locations in King County for withstanding structural damage in the event of an earthquake. EvergreenHealth is prepared to serve as a central community resource for post-disaster care by ensuring that we have adequate space and resources to admit and treat patients from all over King County and beyond.

The community's investment in constructing the Silver Tower on the Kirkland campus in 2007 paved the way for seismic stability in some of our most critical inpatient areas, including the intensive care unit (ICU). Today, the Silver Tower has the capacity for six floors of inpatient care.

EvergreenHealth's main hospital campus can also draw from its own well and run water to the hospital – a critical feature in a large-scale emergency. EvergreenHealth remains a viable resource for the community through our commitment to consistently invest in structural upgrades and ensure the hospital can not only withstand damage but can continuously support the treatment of patients during and after a disaster.

Community Support and Education

In addition to ensuring our teams and facilities are prepared for an emergency, we offer dozens of resources to the community to help you stay informed and ready in case of a natural disaster. One prominent example is our monthly emergency preparedness classes, as part of our Community Education Services, on topics including:

• Community CPR
• Infant & Child CPR
• CPR for Healthcare Providers
• Community First Aid
• Stop the Bleed seminars