EvergreenHealth and Seattle Children's Form a Strategic Affiliation to Provide Advanced Neonatal and Pediatric Care on the Eastside

From left to right: Dr. Ettore Pallazo, MD, FACP, EvergreenHealth CEO; Chris Bredeson, MBA, FACHE, EvergreenHealth COO; Tessi Foley, MN, RN, EvergreenHealth Director, Women and Children’s Services; Jamie Phillips, MHA, FACHE, Seattle Children’s President and COO; Howard Jeffries, Seattle Children’s Senior Medical Director, Regional Network Strategy and Development

Since 2006, Seattle Children’s and EvergreenHealth Kirkland have partnered to provide around-the-clock inpatient pediatric care — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — bringing high-quality medical services closer to home for patient families. Building on this nearly 20-year relationship, the expanded collaboration strengthens the organizations’ shared commitment to improve access to high-quality, specialty inpatient care for newborns and children in the region.

This strategic affiliation enhances care in EvergreenHealth’s 43-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and its 13-bed inpatient pediatric unit by improving access to Seattle Children’s specialists, integrating Seattle Children’s clinical protocols, policies and procedures, and expanding EvergreenHealth’s capabilities. It also strengthens care coordination between the two systems, enabling smoother transitions, shared care plans, and better communication among providers.

What does this mean for patients and families?

For patients, this means enhanced access to specialized care and better outcomes. For families, it reduces the burden of needing to travel to Seattle Children’s Hospital campus for care that can be provided in a community setting and helps keep families together during their child’s hospitalization. Together, these efforts support a more compassionate care experience.

Initial services will include the enhancement of existing inpatient and diagnostic cardiology care. In addition, Seattle Children’s will begin providing remote neurology consultations to EvergreenHealth’s NICU, enabling the launch of a neonatology cooling program. This specialized therapy involves lowering a newborn’s body temperature to allow the brain to recover from a hypoxic-ischemic injury, reducing the risk of long-term damage and improving the chance of healthy development.   

Over time, EvergreenHealth and Seattle Children’s Neonatal and Pediatric Specialty Care Services will continue to expand services and capabilities, helping more families access advanced care where and when they need it. 

Learn More

Visit Seattle Children’s Press Release for additional information about this affiliation.