A new hospital in the Issaquah Highlands is one step closer to becoming a reality as Swedish Medical Center officials wrap up the year-long master planning phase and step into design work.
“We’re really excited to transform what we’re able to do, and transform the capabilities of the Issaquah health care community,” said John Milne, medical director for strategic development at Swedish Medical Center Issaquah Campus.
The new hospital, to be built at the top of Highlands Drive, had a rocky start when it began its master planning phase in 2007.
Overlake Medical Center, Evergreen Healthcare, Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center filed a joint appeal with the State Department of Health in June 2007, claiming the new hospital in the Highlands would concentrate too many beds in one part of the Eastside, followed by a petition for reconsideration in July 2008. In both cases, judges ruled to allow Swedish to build.
Representatives from Swedish Medical Center detailed information gleaned from community members, an intended construction timeline, and what amenities the finished hospital should have to the City Council during the Tuesday, Jan. 27 Commitee-of-the-Whole meeting.
“We’re trying to create what we call a ‘health care commons,’” Milne said. “Which is a really integrated process that brings the community, health care providers, nursing staff, everyone together in a process that’s promoting health. We’re looking at changing the way we, as a hospital system, perceive health.”
The 175-bed hospital will be built on a 12.5 acre plot along Northeast Blakely Drive.
The building will have three six-story tall towers joined by a “connecting spine,” and an underground parking level. Each floor will house medical offices and a variety of in-and-outpatient services, including oncology, cardiac care, obstetrics, pediatrics, neurosciences, emergency services and intensive care, among many others.
The ground floor will be completely dedicated to the Swedish Cancer Institute.
Chuck Salmon, executive director of operations and development at the Issaquah campus, said Swedish worked closely with community members to put together some of the foundational elements for the new hospital.
A focus group created a detailed list of what they hope for at the new campus, he said: a user friendly layout, a single bill for all services, the ability to get all health services done in one place, electronic medical records, a strong online presence, and a community focus, among other things.
The new facility will be built in two phases. The medical offices and outpatient center will go up first, scheduled to be finished in fall 2010, and the hospital should finish in early 2012.
Groundbreaking for both phases will be this summer.
Swedish’s current Issaquah location, 2005 N.W. Sammamish Road, will not be abandoned in the process.
Milne said the campus gets a lot of use from people in Lakemont, South Bellevue and Mercer Island, and once the new campus opens, ambulances will likely transport people to either location depending on their severity; higher acuity patients will go to the new campus, while lower acuity will be shuttled to the old one.
As an added benefit, the campus will be built to LEED Silver Certification levels — though they won’t be going through the certification process, the cost of which is “very substantial,” Salmon said.
As the new Swedish campus and design come together, Milne said much of the focus will be on creating a place geared toward prevention and outpatient care.
“This is really a health and wellness focus as opposed to (how) hospitals have historically been built around that inpatient process with some ambulatory services tapped on the side,” Milne said. “We’re almost turning that 180 degrees as we move forward in this process.”
