From Gregg’s desk

50 years later, Skagit Valley Hospital continues to open doors to the future of health care

We are celebrating Skagit Valley Hospital’s 50th year as a health care leader in the region.

The community had the foresight 50 years ago to build a modern hospital, replacing two aging, undersized facilities in Mount Vernon with one modern new structure on the outskirts of town. With just a handful of doctors in the community, the hospital leaders and supporters forged a vision to be on the leading edge of health care in the 1950s and for decades to come.

In this issue of HealthQuest, we take a look back at our rich history and a few of the people who helped shape the original Skagit Valley Hospital, which opened on April 9, 1958, and brought us through five decades of growth and changing technology. We’re having a birthday party on April 9, 2008 and hope you’ll stop by during the day for a piece of cake and cup of coffee in our 1415 Deli.

As we take a moment to celebrate the past, we also want to focus on the future as we expand our Regional Cancer Care Center. This new, comprehensive facility opened in December 2006 and is already slated to grow to meet the needs of the cancer patients of our community. We will be adding a third radiation therapy unit and remodeling space to provide more infusion stations. It’s a sad reality that cancer is so prevalent in our community, yet we are honored to be able to serve our patients with the latest in diagnosis and treatment in one convenient location. Our affiliation with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is also an important element in our cancer program, bringing the resources of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Care Center, UW Medicine and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, to our physicians and patients.

There are many more advancements going on here at Skagit Valley Hospital as we continue to welcome new physicians to our community and expand services. We recently opened the new six-bed Sleep Disorders Center and we will soon unveil our new, interactive Web site to provide our community with quick access to information about Skagit Valley Hospital and your health and wellness.

I am thankful to you, our friends and neighbors in the communities we serve, who continue to show support for Skagit Valley Hospital. We all look forward to providing you with compassionate, quality care in the future, as we have been so honored to do for the past 50 years.

Gregg Davidson, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer