We are highlighting case studies created by Fellows who are participating in our Academy Fellows Program which focuses on leadership development for Administrative, Finance, Nurse, and Physician healthcare leaders. This month we are featuring Mary Beth's Action Project which she worked on as a part of the Fellowship Program.
Action Project Title: Reconfiguring Assets in a Time of Transition
Swedish Health Services, affiliated with Providence, is a network of five hospitals with more than 1,200 beds, primary and specialty medical group and ambulatory sites, all situated in the highly competitive Seattle metropolitan area. The close proximity of hospitals warranted an evaluation and assessment to determine the best use of assets while maintaining our mission as we continue with recovery and renewal from the pandemic. The First Hill (600 beds) and Cherry Hill (200 beds) campuses are less than a mile apart, creating redundant costs to operate adjacent facilities. First Hill’s seismically at-risk infrastructure and aged main operating rooms do not meet the modern standards required to serve more tertiary and quaternary patients. Neither campus has sufficient ICU capacity to meet the current or future needs of the community. Aging and inefficient emergency departments are split between the two campuses. Modernization of the First Hill campus, and consolidating Cherry Hill inpatient and emergency services, is essential to allow Providence and Swedish to sustainably advance its mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities of the Puget Sound and beyond.
To mitigate the issue, Mary Beth formed a cross-functional team engaged to review and revise the project scope to respond to strategic and financial considerations, while achieving the key goals:
Prioritize critical acute infrastructure modernization
Enable acute campus portfolio consolidation
Preserve future capacity expansion for strategic growth
Reflective towards acute market trends
The First Hill Modernization project was approved by Providence System Leadership and the Providence Board and Sponsors in September 2023. Construction is underway. The cross-functional team continues a regular meeting cadence to track construction progress, capital and cash flow commitments, $500 million philanthropic campaign development, and campus and service consolidation logistics. When complete, the modernized First Hill campus will be a sustainable, market competitive tertiary and quaternary center that will continue to deliver its mission by positively impacting the Seattle and larger Puget Sound communities.
Nominations for THMA's 2026 Fellowship cohorts are now open and offer leadership development in six areas—administrative, finance, physician, nursing, informatics, and technology. If you are interested in learning more or nominating a healthcare leader, please reach out to LDPrograms@hmacademy.com.