EvergreenHealth Board of Commissioners Give 2022 Community Service Award to Staff, Retired Commissioner Al DeYoung
EvergreenHealth's staff is being recognized for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic
KIRKLAND, Wash. — EvergreenHealth's Board of Commissioners is recognizing the community-owned hospital's staff for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recently retired Commissioner Al DeYoung by presenting each with the 2022 Community Service Award.
At the onset of COVID-19, EvergreenHealth's staff quickly responded to the changes in national recommendations that allowed for the testing of patients with unexplained severe respiratory illness. It was because of this swift response that the first cases of COVID-19 were identified along with the first community spread of the virus in the U.S. The hospital system's staff moved swiftly to establish one of the first hospital-based COVID-19 testing programs in the country, coordinate air flow changes across the hospital and many clinics and fabricate plexiglass shields that were deployed across the organization to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among staff and patients.
Much of the work EvergreenHealth's staff performed in response to the pandemic was compiled in a "Lessons Learned" document that was then shared nationally and then internationally to assist other hospitals in their response to COVID-19. Without a doubt, the innovations and adaptations EvergreenHealth's staff performed over the course of the pandemic saved countless lives.
"Our staff worked endless hours, nights, weekends, holidays and put their own health at risk to care for our community, in the hospital setting, clinics and in homes," said EvergreenHealth Board Chair Virgil Snyder. "They showed compassion, respect, and empathy for each other and for our patients."
The recently retired Commissioner Al DeYoung served on the Board of EvergreenHealth for 43 years, consistently representing the needs of the community. He has shown deep commitment to advocating for the community's health and wellness as a leader of the hospital system. Earning the respect and trust of his colleagues, DeYoung has exemplified EvergreenHealth's culture by embodying compassion, respect, excellence, collaboration and accountability.
"Al DeYoung was and remains passionate about the independence of our hospital district to ensure that it remains responsible to the citizens who created it, that it provides equitable access to exceptional care and is a continuous benefit to our community," said Snyder. "He has actively supported and led our organizational mission to provide high quality, safe, compassionate, and cost-effective health care."
The Community Service Award is presented to community members and groups who make a profound impact on enhancing the health of the Eastside and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to our most important values: compassion, respect, excellence, collaboration and accountability. See a list of past recipients here.
