Overlake Medical Center & Clinics announced effective today it will
manage Snoqualmie Valley Hospital’s emergency department. The collaboration, and long-standing relationship of the two organizations, will continue to benefit the needs of Snoqualmie and the surrounding
communities.
“The motivation is really about providing our community members a broader access to services,” said Dr. Kimberly Witkop, interim chief executive officer, chief medical officer at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. “Being a smaller community hospital, we are able to offer core medical services, but for anything beyond those core services, we have to relocate patients. For us, it is such a natural transition to choose Overlake for the
management of our emergency services.”
Emergency physicians who work at Overlake Medical Center’s emergency department will also work at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital’s emergency department. These doctors are all board-certified in emergency
medicine and employed by Puget Sound Physicians.
Eric Shipley, MD, department chairperson of emergency services at Overlake, has been working at Overlake for 20 years and at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital since November 2019. “The same electronic medical record system we currently use at the Overlake emergency department is the same system at Snoqualmie Valley. We will have access to all notes and labs, which will be tremendous in facilitating seamless patient care at either facility,” said Dr. Shipley.
Both organizations agree this collaboration will have a broad positive impact on emergency services, including stroke care, sepsis care, and myocardial infarction care (heart attack). Snoqualmie Valley Hospital is a Level 5 trauma center and the only trauma center in Snoqualmie, Washington. Because of the facility’s location, Snoqualmie Valley often receives patients seeking care for injuries related to skiing/snowboarding and hiking along the I-90 corridor and at Snoqualmie Pass.
“I am excited for the citizens of Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, and North Bend. They need to know we have this fantastic facility that can provide emergency care 24/7. They should keep us in mind whenever an emergency arises,” Dr. Shipley explained.
For more information about Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, visit: overlakehospital.org
For more information about Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, visit: snoqualmiehospital.org
Comments
When my daughter had a mountain bike accident up on the Ridge two years ago the Fire Dept that responded told us if they transported her that she would go to Snoqualmie Valley and to instead head straight to Overlake because the care is better (which we did) so it is a relief to hear Overlake is now staffing the ER.
If something serious happens, we’ll go straight to Swedish in Issaquah, or one of the larger hospitals in Bellevue or Seattle. Remember what a “level 5 trauma center” is:
“A Level V Trauma Center provides initial evaluation, stabilization and diagnostic capabilities and prepares patients for transfer to higher levels of care.”
https://www.amtrauma.org/page/traumalevels