Guests at the annual EvergreenHealth Foundation gala on April 29 raised $1.35 million to benefit a new Transitional Care Unit to be opened at EvergreenHealth’s medical center in Kirkland for patients with behavioral health conditions.
The funds raised at the 16th annual event will assist with development of this specialized 14-bed unit designed to support the needs of behavioral health patients who are receiving medical care at EvergreenHealth, while their care is transitioned to other community behavioral health treatment settings.
This year’s gala was themed “Let’s Rock N’ Roll” and brought together more than 700 donors at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
“Health care providers in the Northwest and across the country are seeing a rising need for specialized, behavioral health services, both medical and therapeutic, and we are heartened by the generosity of our community in supporting this critical need,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte in a press release. “These funds will allow us to further develop a care setting specific to this patient population, which reflects our organization’s ongoing commitment to grow and adapt to our community’s evolving needs over time —something we’ve been proud to be able to do over our organization’s 45-year history.”
Caring for behavioral health patients often presents distinct challenges from a safety, security and care-management perspective, the release states, and the new unit will consider these special circumstances to ensure patients, families and staff work effectively together, while patients transition to care settings for managing their behavioral health conditions.
The unit — which is a medical care unit, not an inpatient behavioral health unit — will be designed to cultivate a calming physical environment. Transitional Care Unit staff will receive specialized training and education on the needs of behavioral health patients and how to best provide the medical care that will assist in their transition to a more permanent therapeutic setting. Each patient room will be equipped with direct video-observation technology to provide patients with exceptional care and service in the safest setting.
At last month’s event, the EvergreenHealth Foundation also presented the family of the late Sen. Andy Hill with the annual Spirit of Giving award in his honor. The award recognizes the very best in community philanthropy and those whose selfless contributions are crucial to the health and well-being of the community.
The annual black-tie gala, presented by Denali Advanced Integration, is the EvergreenHealth Foundation’s signature fundraiser, and has generated millions of dollars to support programs and departments across the organization.
Next year’s gala will be on April 28, 2018. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.Evergreen HealthFoundation.com.
