Evergreen Health officials brief Bothell council on expanded pediatric care, finances and community programs

Evergreen Health executives gave Bothell city leaders a 10-minute update on July 8 about expanded pediatric services, community programs and the financial pressures facing hospitals across Washington.

The presentation highlighted a new joint venture with Seattle Children’s to expand pediatric specialties and neonatal services, described Evergreen as a public hospital governed by elected commissioners and flagged continued revenue pressures tied to wage inflation and proposed federal Medicaid changes.

Evergreen’s chief operating and strategy officer, Chris Bredesen, told the council the July 1 joint venture with Seattle Children’s will bring more pediatric specialists “so kids from the East Side stay on the East Side and not have to go to Seattle unless they really need that higher level of care.” He said implementation would roll out over roughly six months and that early patient volume is already rising.

Bredesen described Evergreen Health as a public hospital district that serves tens of thousands locally and noted the system delivered 4,563 babies last year—second in Washington only to Seattle Hospital. He also described community-focused work that uses levy funds, including mental-health therapists in schools, geriatric care and a community health assessment team that helps residents navigate services.

Why it matters: council members said the update helps them understand local health capacity, providers’ plans for access and the financial risks hospitals face that could shape future local policy or advocacy. Bredesen and board chair Virgil Snyder emphasized Evergreen’s desire to remain independent and locally governed as other systems consolidate.

Financial and system pressures Bredesen said the dominant financial pressure is wage inflation, especially higher pay for travel nurses and other temporary staff, and rising supply costs paired with reduced reimbursement in some payment categories. He pointed to statewide losses for 2021–2022 and federal Medicaid changes the Washington State Hospital Association has said could reduce hospital payments if enacted. "There's no way we can absorb this level of cuts in the Medicaid program without massive impacts to Washingtonians' access to care," he said, citing the association's concern.

Local implications and next steps Council members asked about behavioral health, school partnerships and the potential for an East Side pediatric ER. Bredesen said current Seattle Children’s partnership is focused on inpatient pediatric and NICU specialties and that outpatient behavioral health for children is a longer-term discussion; he said the hospital is exploring options for future phases. Council members and Evergreen staff agreed to pursue regular, informal updates to maintain lines of communication.

The presentation also described Evergreen’s community investments—Bredesen said the commissioners set aside about $6.2 million last year from levy funds for community-focused programs—and noted awards and quality metrics the hospital has earned, including consistent Leapfrog A grades and a five-star CMS rating in prior years.

Ending Council members thanked Evergreen for the briefing and indicated interest in more frequent, informal conversations about local health services, behavioral health integration and planned capital or programmatic changes that could affect Bothell residents.