King County Healthcare Coalition Recognizes EvergreenHealth with Excellence in Collaboration Award for Emergency Planning

KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug. 23,  2012  /PRNewswire/ -- The King County Healthcare Coalition recently announced EvergreenHealth as a recipient of the 2011–2012 Excellence in Collaboration award for its important work with the Puget Sound Blood Center's emergency planning group. EvergreenHealth and its co-awardees received the award at the King County Healthcare Coalition forum on August 3 at Seattle City Hall.     

Along with 16 other local hospitals and regional partners, EvergreenHealth was an integral part of an effort to prepare a disaster response plan to strengthen blood-management procedures in emergencies. Led by the Puget Sound Blood Center, the hospitals and partners outlined a strategy to ensure that all victims of a large-scale disaster would have access to crucial blood transfusions.

"In the event of large-scale incidents and disasters, it's crucial for hospitals and medical organizations to work in tandem to provide the most efficient and effective care for patients and victims. We are honored to have been a part of this dedicated team to ensure that patients receive critical blood resources when the need is greatest," said Bob Malte, EvergreenHealth CEO.  

This year, the group participated in two drills to identify weaknesses in emergency plans and worked together to strengthen these communication plans and lifesaving tools, taking several contingencies into account to reflect scenarios in which normal communication and blood-ordering systems are disrupted. The group's new emergency plan is now the standard procedure in the event of a disaster.

The Excellence in Collaboration award is presented as part of the 2011–2012 Emergency Preparedness and Response Awards, honoring those who have made remarkable contributions to the King County community.

To learn more about EvergreenHealth, visit www.evergreenhealth.com or call the EvergreenHealth 24-hour Nurse Navigator and Healthline at 425.899.3000. 

About EvergreenHealth

EvergreenHealth, a public hospital district and community-based health care organization established in 1972, offers a breadth of services and programs that is among the most comprehensive in the region. More than 950 physicians provide clinical excellence within more than 80 specialties, including cardiac, oncology, surgical care, orthopedics, a neuroscience institute, women's and children's services, hospice care, pulmonary care, a sleep disorders center and home care services. EvergreenHealth serves more than 400,000 residents in its primary service area of northern King and southern Snohomish counties with EvergreenHealth Primary Care, a network of primary and urgent care practices, and its main hospital campus in Kirkland, Wash. EvergreenHealth also provides emergency care at two sites: its main hospital campus and the EvergreenHealth Redmond Medical Center. In addition to clinical care, EvergreenHealth offers extensive community health outreach and education programs, anchored by the EvergreenHealth Nurse Navigator and Healthline, a 24/7 nurse consultation service. For more information, visit www.evergreenhealth.com.

CONTACTS:

Kay Taylor
Vice President, Marketing, Communications & PR
EvergreenHealth
425.899.2604
[email protected]

Kristi Clough
Firmani + Associates Inc.
206.443.9357
[email protected]

SOURCE EvergreenHealth