EvergreenHealth Celebrates 50th Anniversary of its founding as the Eastside's Public Hospital District

To celebrate the health system's milestone, EvergreenHealth is hosting a community health challenge

Kirkland, Wash. – Today, EvergreenHealth proudly celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding as the Eastside's public hospital district, marking five decades of care, service and gratitude for its community. Since first opening its doors on March 9, 1972, the Kirkland-based health system has grown alongside the community, serving the patients and families of one of the region's most rapidly expanding areas with its mission to provide high-quality, safe and cost-effective care and service.

In honor of EvergreenHealth's 50th anniversary, the cities of Kirkland, Bothell, Redmond, Woodinville, Kenmore and Duvall have proclaimed March 9, 2022 "EvergreenHealth Day," recognizing the health system for its ongoing, 50-year commitment to enriching the health and well-being of the community.

"On behalf of all those who have served at EvergreenHealth, past and present, we are so thankful for our community's support as your public district hospital for these 50 years," said Jeff Tomlin, MD, CEO of EvergreenHealth. "It's inspiring to reflect upon how much health care has changed since our humble beginning, but so much of what defines EvergreenHealth – our commitment to our mission, vision and values – has always been integral to us, and continues to shape our care and our culture. We are ever grateful for the trust our community places with us, and we look forward to continuing to deliver on our promise to be our community's best partner in health."

EvergreenHealth's legacy began when voters approved the formation of the Eastside's public hospital district in 1967. Once planning for the 76-bed hospital was underway, a competition determined the new hospital's name and a resident of Bothell, Peg Martin, submitted the winning entry, "Evergreen General Hospital."

When Evergreen opened in 1972, the single hospital served a community of approximately 80,000 residents. Today, the award-winning organization serves an area that's home to more than 1 million residents, and has grown to include a two-hospital health system providing care across more than 48 specialties from three emergency departments, 12 primary care clinics and seven urgent care centers.

"We've never sought growth just for the sake of getting bigger. For 50 years, we've thoughtfully assessed the needs of our community in order to best serve our neighbors," Dr. Tomlin said. "Much of our growth has focused on physical expansion, while other work focused on innovation of care and services – all of which has worked together to enhance what we offer while bringing significant benefits to our patients and staff."

Over its history, the health system's commitment to excellence has been recognized by many organizations, most recently including recognition from Healthgrades as one of America's 50 Best Hospitals™, and from the quality organization The Leapfrog Group with an "A" grade for safety, as well as recognition from the Lown Institute as the #2 in the nation for delivering high-quality care.

In celebration of the health system's anniversary, EvergreenHealth invites the community to join its wellness challenge aimed at helping residents live their Healthiest Best.

The community wellness challenge features 50 challenges across five categories – nutrition, exercise, emotions, social connection, intellectual and preventive care – that guide residents and their families to live a healthy lifestyle by being active, trying new things and creating meaningful connections in-person and through social media.

For community members interested in joining the challenge alongside the health system, and to learn more about EvergreenHealth and its 50th anniversary milestone, please visit www.evergreenhealth.com/50th-anniversary.