[3 MIN READ]
In this article:
- As one of the largest not-for-profit health care providers in the greater Seattle area, Swedish is grateful for generous donor support from the community.
- Philanthropy supports groundbreaking initiatives and programs at Swedish, including our Women’s Wellness Program, the Paul G. Allen Research Center at Swedish Cancer Institute, and the Swedish Staffing, Transfer, and Operations Center (STOC).
- Learn more from Tracy Ostrem, president of Swedish Medical Center Foundation, about how you can help shape the future of health care with a gift to Swedish.
Swedish is one of the largest not-for-profit health care providers in the greater Seattle area, and philanthropy supports much of our work. We are consistently named one of Seattle’s best hospital systems, in part because of what the help of our generous donors allows us to do.
“We rely on philanthropy to improve the patient experience, develop innovative research programs and provide a breadth of community services across our region,” says Tracy Ostrem, president of Swedish Medical Center Foundation and chief development officer of Swedish Health Services. “Philanthropy is crucial to programs across our health system.”
Philanthropy helps patients
We are grateful to our generous donors, who promote the welfare of others through their kindness and make a huge difference at Swedish for both our patients and our caregivers. Generous gifts provide a peaceful and healing environment, help recruit the best and the brightest to care for our patients, and ensure our caregivers have a balanced workload. Our generous donors help us live up to our motto of ‘Health for Good’ and ensure the continuation of innovative research that informs the latest and best care for every patient.
“Nursing is a great example of where philanthropic support benefits everyone at Swedish, including our patients,” says Tracy. “There’s currently a national nursing shortage, with Swedish being no exception. Philanthropy helps us recruit, retain and recognize the importance of nursing leadership.”
Recently, donors’ generosity helped bring to fruition three recent game-changing initiatives at Swedish.
The Paul G. Allen Research Center at Swedish Cancer Institute: The future of cancer care is here
Swedish recently announced a $20 million gift from the estate of the late philanthropist, Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. The gift, made shortly after Mr. Allen’s death in 2018, supports the formation of the Paul G. Allen Research Center at Swedish Cancer Institute.
With the center’s next-generation research programs, researchers and physicians will work to better understand, treat, and eventually prevent cancer. The center will be home to multi-pronged cancer research that focuses on collecting and analyzing data at scale. This work requires investments in technology, personnel, and lab resources; all of which Mr. Allen’s gift makes possible.
Donors support women’s health with new Women’s Wellness and Specialty GYN Services, First Hill
Our new Women’s Wellness and Specialty GYN Services, First Hill will open mid-December thanks to the generous philanthropic support of our community. The clinic features a team of expert gynecologists who will see women of all ages and offer a full range of treatments for women’s health conditions and concerns.
“Philanthropy truly touches every aspect of our organization,” says Tracy. “Because of our supporters, our patients get the best, most advanced health care.”
The clinic is uniquely placed to be the hub for women to find coordinated services and care. If a woman has been seeing her regular gynecologist and needs more specialized care, she might come to the clinic. The team of expert gynecologists and nurse practitioners has a unique understanding of women’s physiology and needs as they age.
This clinic would not have been possible without our generous donors, who enable us to expand our women’s health programs and discover new and better ways to help our community. Now, women of all ages in the Seattle area can get the specialized care they need.
Philanthropy leads to innovative solutions with STOC
The generosity of our donors also made possible another milestone project at Swedish: the Swedish Staffing, Transfer and Operations Center (STOC). STOC is a program that serves as the central nervous system of hospital operations. It helps monitor and analyze patient information and hospital resources in real-time across the entire Swedish network. STOC uses GE Command Center Tile technology so that patients get the right care at the right time in the right place.
“I had the opportunity to tour STOC on my very first day at Swedish,” says Tracy. “It was so wonderful to see first-hand our vision for technology and innovative solutions.”
STOC helps Swedish fulfill its mission of getting the best care to our patients facilitated by excellence across the board in our hospital. With the STOC collating data from across all five of our hospitals, we can find the right facility for patient needs as soon as possible. STOC syncs with the electronic medical records system to give insight into each patient’s condition and required care. It also helps caregivers determine which location has the capacity and is best for providing specialty care, so patients can work through their recovery and get home sooner.
Thanks to generous donors in our community, Swedish patients are already benefiting from STOC’s robust data. With more support, the Swedish STOC will be able to expand into a new, larger facility that will allow for more caregiver collaboration.
“Ultimately, this collaboration at STOC translates to more personalized, timely and effective care for our patients and community,” says Tracy.
Ways to help shape the future of health care
We are extremely thankful for our community’s continued philanthropic support. We know that people give back for many reasons.
“I am moved every week by the stories of gratitude I hear from my colleagues and the gifts they receive from grateful patients and their families,” says Tracy. “When an organization provides compassionate care, patients are often compelled to express appreciation. There is a ‘healing joy’ that many patients wish to express aftercare at Swedish, and we are honored to help facilitate conversations about how philanthropy can help in the healing process.”
Interested in helping to move our innovative health care forward? You can learn about more ways to give or make a direct donation online at swedishfoundation.org. You can also contact the Foundation at 206-368-2738 or email foundation@swedish.org. Thank you for helping us shape the future of healthcare. We can’t do it without you.
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Related resources
Explore Swedish programs made possible with philanthropy
Benefits of volunteering or supporting cancer programs
Help Swedish reimagine patient care by becoming a patient and family advisor
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