Strategic Growth Plan

Being a public hospital district means that we are accountable to make sound investments in infrastructure, develop new services, and most importantly, sustain adequate patient bed capacity to ensure those who rely on us have access to the best possible care in every situation today and for generations to come, 24/7.

It is our responsibility to diligently understand and remain abreast of the changing and growing healthcare needs specific to the patient population in our region – keeping us nimble in our ability to respond to those changing needs on a local level. We do this through strategic growth planning, guided by data from King County and other reputable civic research sources to ensure our services and growth is data-driven, and care insufficiencies are addressed through community health needs assessments and other third-party data that informs how we best serve you.

The Strategic Growth Plan was developed by EvergreenHealth leadership and endorsed by the publicly elected Board of Commissioners to address the unprecedented volume and service demand EvergreenHealth is experiencing today, and projections showing an even greater increase in inpatient volumes and demand over coming years.

What is the Strategic Growth Plan?

The goal behind EvergreenHealth's Strategic Growth Plan is to ensure that your community-owned hospital can continue to provide top-level, high-value care to everyone in the community in the safest environment and using the most effective methods and tools possible. Now, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the unprecedented increase in patient volume and demand for healthcare services, we have recognized the emergent need for more in-patient bed capacity as well as the modernization and expansion of our surgical care.

Did you know?

Washington State has the fewest number of hospital beds per capita compared to the rest of the U.S. Meanwhile, hospitals like EvergreenHealth have seen a significant increase in demand.

Read More

To address these needs, EvergreenHealth looks to implement the next phase of its Strategic Growth Plan, which can be broken down into three key items:

1. A new north tower – The main feature of the next phase of the Strategic Growth Plan is the construction of the new 8-story north tower. The purpose of this facility is to significantly expand in-patient capacity, add and expand essential services and create support areas with the flexibility to transform depending on the hospital's and the community's needs. Upon full occupancy, the tower will be able to support 5 inpatient care units, 3 floors of lab and testing areas and 3 levels of support space as well as additional underground parking. Community members who would likely be treated in the north tower are those needing critical care, pediatric care, behavioral health services and observation care. In addition to lab and diagnostic services, the other floors would be used for pharmacy, imaging and staff training space to maximize efficiency and boost communications.
2. Renovation and Expansion of the Surgery Center – In order to increase EvergreenHealth's surgical capacity, it is necessary to expand and modernize the Surgery Center located in the Silver Tower. Phase 3 of the Strategic Growth Plan calls for the completion of the tower's second floor where the hospital's inpatient/outpatient surgical space can accommodate growth, the need for larger surgical suites and the modernization of the center's surgical platform. This component of the project would also renovate the existing Surgery Center space with six larger surgical suites and procedure rooms for an array of specialty surgeries. A new sterile processing space would also be included as part of the construction project (relocating it from basement level space) to improve efficiency within the surgical care department.
3. Seismic Resiliency and Increased Parking Capacity – As part of EvergreenHealth's efforts to exponentially increase is campus's seismic resiliency, the Strategic Growth Plan accounts for these needs and takes the opportunity to provide more convenience for our community. Phase 3 would improve the seismic stability of the Kirkland campus by expanding the central parking garage, offering more parking capacity for the growing number of visitors to the hospital. Achieving seismic sustainability on the Kirkland campus would also require the removal of current addition near the current emergency department and critical care area, which was constructed roughly 40 years ago during the hospital's early growth alongside the community.

The direction of the Strategic Growth Plan is in direct response to our community's needs and the future care needs of our district. Read more about the future of our district and how the Strategic Growth Plan directly addresses health care needs.