Swedish Medical Center Foundation Raises $100 Million to Help Meet Increasing Demand for Regional Health-Care Services

SEATTLE, Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Swedish Medical Center's seven-year fund-raising initiative, called The Campaign for Swedish, has raised $103 million, exceeding its initial $100 million fund-raising goal in approx. five-and-a-half years.  The Campaign, launched to help improve patient care and treatment options throughout the Swedish system, is the largest fund-raising effort undertaken by the private, non-profit health system to date.  

"We launched this Campaign with the vision of creating the region's first broad-based, full-service, non-profit health system that is nationally and internationally known for providing exceptional care," said Janet True, co-chair of the Campaign Leadership Council. "Raising $100 million in seven years seemed ambitious seven years ago, and we have been humbled by the community's generosity in helping us exceed our initial goal more than a year and a half ahead of schedule."

More than 50,000 community members have contributed to The Campaign for Swedish to date. The Swedish Medical Center Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital, has had five consecutive record-breaking years, bolstered by $11.8 million raised from Swedish physicians and 26 gifts of $1 million or more during a period when many non-profit health-care organizations have struggled to maintain contributions.

"Swedish has a long history as one of our region's premier health-care delivery systems," said Campaign Co-Chair Dave Sabey. During a challenging time for health care in the United States, we are fortunate to count on the community's generous investment to ensure that Swedish continues to deliver outstanding health care for all those who need it in the Puget Sound region."

More than 40 Major Initiatives Supported to Date

The Campaign for Swedish has funded more than 40 major programs and projects at Swedish. Major priorities supported by the Campaign include:

• Cancer: $18.8 million has been given by the community to advance treatment, buy new technology, support research and develop new facilities within the Swedish Cancer Institute. The new True Family Women's Cancer Center is a direct result of this effort, as is the Breast Care Express.
• Neuroscience: $16.7 million has been directed to the Swedish Neuroscience Institute to support facilities and technology upgrades, and to establish two state-of-the-art centers for the treatment of brain tumors and multiple sclerosis: the Ben & Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment and the new Swedish MS Center.
• Heart & Vascular: $12 million for the Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute has been given to endow medical directorships, launch capital projects, advance clinical research, and support patient education as well as outreach programs. These funds supported the comprehensive heart failure program and expanded our cardiac clinical research program.
• Community Health: $10.4 million to advance community health initiatives at Swedish to provide quality health care to the growing number of uninsured and underinsured members of our community. Among the major community health programs supported by the Campaign is the Swedish Community Specialty and Dental Clinic, a specialty care center that provides surgical and specialty care – including specialty dental care – at no cost to low-income uninsured and underinsured patients.
• Pediatrics and Women and Infants: $5 million was given by the community to provide program support to moms and babies as well as pediatric programs at Swedish. The Gossman Center for Advanced Healthcare Simulation and the expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Swedish/First Hill were direct benefactors of these funds, as was pediatric therapy and child life services.   

Campaign Fundraising to Continue through December 2013

During the next 15 months, the Swedish Medical Center Foundation will continue to partner with hospital and Campaign leadership to raise additional funds for new and existing programs, including the True Family Women's Cancer Center, the MS Center at Swedish, the Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment, and the Comprehensive Heart Failure Program.

Support generated during the "Campaign Homestretch" is also needed to support new initiatives, such as the creation of a new postpartum wellness and education center that will meet the increased patient demand for Swedish services. The Lytle Center, named for a generous $1 million lead gift from Chuck and Karen Lytle, will provide state-of-the-art outpatient follow-up care and support for new babies and mothers in a large, accessible and welcoming space at the First Hill campus.

"We are so grateful for this community's overwhelming support of The Campaign for Swedish in allowing us to advance health care for more than 2,000,000 patients," said Swedish Foundation's Executive Director Don Theophilus. "Having raised more than $3 million beyond our initial $100 million campaign goal in less than six years is very exciting, but we're not declaring victory yet. There is still much work which needs to be done."

About 'The Campaign for Swedish'

The Swedish Medical Center Foundation launched The Campaign for Swedish in January 2007 in conjunction with the Swedish Medical Center Foundation board and a 17-person volunteer Campaign Leadership Council lead by co-chairs Janet True, Kirby McDonald and Dave Sabey. More information can be found online at www.campaignforswedish.org.

About Swedish

Swedish has grown over the last 102 years to become the largest non-profit health provider in the Greater Seattle area with 11,000 employees, more than 2,000 physicians and 1,700 volunteers. It is comprised of five hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Edmonds and Issaquah); ambulatory care centers in Redmond and Mill Creek; and Swedish Medical Group, a network of more than 100 primary-care and specialty clinics located throughout the Greater Puget Sound area. In addition to general medical and surgical care including robotic-assisted surgery, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer care, neuroscience, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatric specialties, organ transplantation and clinical research. For more information, visit www.swedish.org, www.swedishcares.org, www.facebook.com/swedishmedicalcenter, or www.twitter.com/swedish.

Swedish is affiliated with Providence Health & Services, which is a Catholic, not-for-profit organization founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1856 with 27 hospitals, 214 physician clinics and almost 53,000 employees across five states. Based in Renton, Wash., Providence Health & Services provides strategic and management services to integrated health-care systems in Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington state. For more information, visit www.providence.org.

Media Contacts:
Ed Boyle, Swedish, 206-386-2748, [email protected], @Swedish
Aaron Blank, for Swedish, 206-343-1543, [email protected], @AaronBlank

SOURCE Swedish Medical Center