Stevens Hospital is planning an extreme makeover with the goal of making it the go-to health-care headquarters for South Snohomish and North King counties.
The three-year strategic plan advances priorities designed to improve services, expand facilities and forge closer relationships with the medical community and the public. It is “made in paper, not stone” and will be fine-tuned as needed, according to Fred Langer, president of the hospital board.
One of the first developments will be the return of the Stevens Hospital Foundation. Established in 1983 and dismantled in 2003, the foundation raised money for hospital improvements, equipment, scholarships and continuing education.
Two consultants have been retained to search the country for outstanding models of public, non-profit hospital foundations, according to Langer. A foundation that is expected to raise up to $750,000 for Stevens over five years could be in place in six months, he added.
Another component is asking voters to approve a higher maintenance-and-operation levy and capital bond issue for the 50-year-old hospital. More money is needed for big projects such as an overhaul of the emergency room – the service that affects the largest number of district residents, according to Stevens CEO Dr. John Todd.
Last year property owners paid about 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to support the hospital; in 2006, the anticipated rate is about 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, according to hospital spokeswoman Beth Engel.
Langer said it’s likely the vote will come up within this calendar year. The board president, who is both a registered nurse and an attorney, said he’d like to see Stevens make a convincing argument for greater support that will compel voters to “invest in the hospital, not bail the hospital out.”
Stevens has ended recent years with financial losses. The hoped-for break-even performance in 2005 didn’t materialize. Officials say they hope to make a profit of about $1.2 million in 2006 on a budget of $137.8 million.
The three-year plan also calls for improvements in the hospital environment to attract more physicians. That will be accomplished through improved facilities, mutual promotion of businesses and hospital/physician partnerships, said Dr. Todd. One goal is upping the membership of the medical staff from 240 to 350.
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