Providence Everett Medical Center is a regional referral center that has served Snohomish County, Washington for over 100 years. It began in 1905 when the Sisters of Providence converted a hotel into Providence Hospital. Today it is part of the larger Providence Health System and consists of three campuses providing specialized services like open heart surgery and trauma care. The organization emphasizes both advanced technology and compassionate care. It plays a vital role in the community through charity work as well as attracting skilled medical professionals committed to its mission of serving all people.

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PROVIDENCE EVERETT MEDICAL CENTER
the vitality, collective strength,
and resources of the larger
health system.
People Caring for People.
As facilities, technology and
even names have changed
through the years, one thing
has remained constant—the
Providence heritage that
resolutely guides the medical
center’s mission and values.
This heritage is the common
thread uniting the people of
Providence—the doctors, nurses,
employees, and volunteers who
bring extraordinary care and
compassion to the art of healing.
As it has been for a century,
the Providence story is about
people caring for people. And
these people are what make the
story so special and amazing.
They are the people of
Providence.A Centennial Year:
2005 marked Providence Everett’s
100th year of providing quality,
compassionate health care to the
Snohomish County community.
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HERITAGE OF HEALING
Providence Everett Medical
Center is a dynamic and
visionary presence in Snohomish
County. Having evolved
and grown in pace with the
community for over 100 years,
Providence Everett today is a
regional referral center providing
leading-edge medical care
to patients from throughout
northwest Washington.
A Rich History. In 1905 the
Sisters of Providence, led by
Mother Joseph of the Sacred
Heart, purchased Everett’s
quaint Monte Cristo hotel and
converted it into Providence
The Providence Mission:
Providence Health System continues the
healing ministry of Jesus in the world
of today, with special concern for those
who are poor and vulnerable. Working
with others in a spirit of loving service,
we strive to meet the health needs of
people as they journey through life.
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Hospital. Two decades later,
fueled by the demands of an
exploding population, a modern,
new Providence Hospital opened
just east of the original building.
The hospital continued to
grow to meet the needs of the
community, and in 1994, joined
forces with Everett General
Hospital to become what is
today known as Providence
Everett Medical Center.
Collective Strength. A not-for-
profit organization, Providence
Everett Medical Center is part of
the Providence Health System,
which operates hospitals and
healthcare facilities throughout
California, Oregon,
Washington, and Alaska. While
Providence Everett enjoys the
governance of a local Board
committed to Snohomish
County, it benefits equally from
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FACING FORWARD
Gail Larson is one of these
people of Providence. As the
organization’s CEO, she is
witness every day to the
orchestrated delivery of both
compassionate care and
powerful medicine.
“Our strong heritage has laid
the foundation of compassion,
respect and stewardship,”
explains Gail. “Yet the talent
and expertise drawn to
Providence Everett because of
this philosophy has allowed us
to expand our capabilities and
clinical proficiency.”
It is this unique mix of high
tech and high touch that has
helped Providence Everett
grow into the region’s premiere
medical facility.
Northwest Washington’s
Leader in Health Care. Today,
Providence Everett Medical
Center consists of three
campuses—Colby, Pacific, and
Mill Creek. The medical
center is the cornerstone of a
continuum of care in
Snohomish County, which
also includes Providence
Physician Group, Providence
Hospice and Homecare,
and the Providence Everett
Healthcare Clinic.
As a 362-bed regional tertiary
referral center, Providence
Everett Medical Center offers an
advanced mix of services,
including open-heart surgery,
CEO Gail Larson enjoys listening to
employee ideas and sharing her vision
for the future of Providence Everett
Medical Center.
emergency trauma services, new-
born intensive care, and cancer
treatment. With more than
3,000 employees and nearly 600
physicians, Providence Everett
attracts some of the most highly
skilled medical professionals in
the region.
A Vision for the Future. To
help meet the growing demand
for health care in its five-county
service area, Providence Everett
is very active in planning for
future expansion. Its next 20
years include a $400 million
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Providence Everett’s Electrophysiology
Lab has the technology to view a
three-dimensional picture of the heart,
allowing cardiologists to precisely locate
heart arrhythmias.
facility expansion plan slated to
create more than 2,000 new jobs
for the community.
“We are unique with a very
promising future,” Gail says.
“We have a culture of caring
and personal relationships, but
we’re also way ahead of the
curve when it comes to new
techniques and equipment.
And both are so important—
neither one without the other
is enough. Compassion and
technology together are very
powerful medicine.”
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The Heart and Vascular
Institute at Providence Everett
Medical Center has repeatedly
been recognized as a leader in
cardiovascular services. The
newborn intensive care and
trauma units both have achieved
Level III designation, indica-
tions of a highly sophisticated
level of care.
“Providence is very interested
in providing the full range of
medical coverage for Snohomish
County residents, as they’ve
shown by developing leading-
edge services to meet the
community’s changing needs,”
Dr. Blue says.
Neurosurgeon Jim Blue, M.D., chooses
to practice at Providence Everett after
22 years of working as a brain surgeon
in Seattle.
POWERFUL MEDICINE
James Blue, M.D., is one of
many medical leaders
who has brought his expertise
to Providence Everett. A
neurosurgeon specializing in
cranial surgery, Dr. Blue
practiced for 22 years in Seattle
before joining the Providence
neurosurgery program.
“I chose to work at
Providence because I know the
organization is committed to the
cranial surgery aspect of the
neurosurgery program, as well
as to delivering high-quality
medicine in every specialty.
They have invested, and will
Dr. Blue’s special interest in intracranial
and intraspinal disease augments
the excellence of the existing, highly
regarded neurosurgery program at
Providence Everett.
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continue to invest, in the
equipment and staff required
to achieve the highest standard
of care,” he says.
Leading the Way. Providence
Everett Medical Center has in
its facilities some of the most
advanced medical technology
available in the world today.
What’s more, the organiza-
tion has attracted highly
skilled, dedicated professionals
to Everett. In their hands,
leading-edge equipment has
helped Providence achieve
consistently excellent outcomes
for patients and a position of
respect among physicians and
healthcare experts.
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A MISSION IN MOTION
She is highly trained, exception-
ally skilled, and projects a
warmth that makes a person feel
safe and embraced. It must
feel that way to the babies, too.
Kim Bichlmeier, R.N., works
nights in the Level III Newborn
Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
at Providence. When she moved
to the Pacific Northwest she
knew she would continue her
career in this specialty, but it
was not until she walked
through the Providence NICU
that she knew which hospital
she would choose.
“Right away, I felt that this
place was different. Everyone
was welcoming; people were
working together. I just knew it
was right,” she says.
More Than a Job. Each day,
in every department, Providence
employees strive to fulfill the
organization’s mission. The
values of compassion, justice,
respect, excellence and steward-
ship are a driving force, provid-
ing a common purpose and a
unique devotion to the work.
“We live the values here at
Providence; it’s the reason we’re
here,” explains Kim. “We are
Neonatal Nurse Kim Bichlmeier enjoys
working in an environment where
powerful medicine and compassionate
care mutually exist.
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As a Level III Trauma Center, the
Emergency Department at Providence
Everett sees nearly 100,000 patients a
year, making it the second-busiest
Emergency Department in the state.
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able to really, truly impact
peoples’ lives every single day.”
Pulling Together. Kim says
the dedication to teamwork in
her unit, and throughout
Providence, is amazing. “Caring
for critically ill newborns is
emotionally trying and stressful.
But on a busy night, our staff
pulls together so naturally.
In over five years working in
NICUs, this is the best. It’s this
teamwork that truly sets
Providence apart.”
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SHARING A SENSE OF
COMMUNITY
Mary Jane and Ross Miller are
prime examples of the
Providence mission carried out
through extraordinary service.
They have volunteered in
different capacities at the
hospital for over 20 years,
bringing a sense of purpose and
compassion to every job they
do. Mary Jane volunteers in the
surgery waiting room and at
Camp Prov, a weeklong summer
camp for disabled children.
Ross has held several positions
on Providence Everett’s executive
boards, including serving as
chairman of the Providence
General Foundation.
Mary Jane says they choose
to devote their time and
resources to Providence Everett
because of its importance
in Snohomish County, and
because the medical center
supports, and is supported by,
its community.
Active community leaders and fervent
supporters of Providence Everett, Mary
Jane and Ross Miller brighten hospital
waiting areas with beautiful bouquets
from their garden in Marysville.
Giving Back. As Snohomish
County’s only not-for-profit,
non-tax-supported medical
center, Providence Everett
embraces a spirit of stewardship
that reaches beyond the life-
preserving services it provides
every day.
The organization makes
significant contributions to the
community through charity
and unreimbursed care, health
screenings, community educa-
tion, and outreach. The recently
opened Providence Everett
Healthcare Clinic provides basic
medical care for people who
have had difficulty gaining
access to healthcare providers.
The Providence General
Foundation understands first-
hand how important people
like Mary Jane and Ross can
make a lasting impression on a
community. In addition to
An outdoor therapy playground designed
for children with disabilities was added
to the Providence Children’s Center
entirely through the community’s
donation of time, talent, and treasure.
gifts of time, hundreds of
donors every year contribute
funding to the Foundation to
extend the organization’s ability
to provide care and services.
Mary Jane and Ross see
their work as being in complete
harmony with the Providence
way of taking care of the
community. “The Providence
values are exactly what we
volunteers ‘do’ every day,
literally,” Mary Jane says. “We
all have an obligation to give
something back. Our affiliation
with Providence gives us a
way to reach the people who
need us the most. Together, we
can make quite an impact.”
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Colleen Elkins was one of Cardiac
Surgeon James Brevig’s, M.D., first
patients in the Providence Everett
Cardiac Surgery Single Stay Unit.
The first of its kind in the state, the
Unit allows open-heart surgery patients
to be treated in the same private room
for their entire stay at the hospital.
TOUCHING LIVES
The people of Providence have a
singular purpose: to provide the
best care possible, in the most
compassionate way, to every one
of their patients. Colleen Elkins
is one person whose life was
touched in such a way.
Colleen had been living
with a condition that kept her
heart’s valves from opening
and closing properly. For a year
she needed supplemental
oxygen 24 hours a day to help
her breathe.
Eventually, her local
doctor told her she needed to
have surgery and arranged for
her to see the team at the
Heart and Vascular Institute at
Providence Everett. “They got
me through it,” Colleen says.
“If it wasn’t for their knowledge,
I wouldn’t be here today.”
Colleen says she argued a
little when her caregivers urged
her to walk right after surgery,
but she gives them credit
for motivating her to begin the
healing process. “They made
me want to get up,” she says.
“One thing is for sure, they
know what they’re doing.”
“I’m so thankful that my
own doctor referred me to
Providence Everett. They are
the most wonderful guardian
angels I have met in my life.
If it wasn’t for their care…their
coming to reassure me I’d be
all right…well, they just don’t
come any finer.”
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Cardiac Surgeons Patrick Ryan, M.D.,
and Tim Byrnes, M.D., perform one
of over 500 open-heart procedures
that take place every year at Providence
Everett.
The Next Century, and
Beyond. Over one hundred years
ago, Mother Joseph set a
standard for caring that proves
to be as relevant in modern
Snohomish County as it was in
the days of the unsettled frontier.
Through the generations, the
people of Providence have cared
for the people of Snohomish
County. And with continued
need and support in the
community, Providence Everett
Medical Center will be
serving this region for centuries
to come.
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