PeaceHealth, Providence to Collaborate on Services

A press release for you from PeaceHealth and Providence about some of the stuff they’re up to lately…

Letter of intent opens way to jointly improving wellness, wholeness

VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth and Providence Health & Services, two health systems with a long history of committed service to the Pacific Northwest, signed a letter of intent Oct. 26, 2015, to jointly develop innovative ways to provide health and wellness services in communities they serve.

The first of multiple initiatives in development is a health and wellness center, featuring rehab, fitness, primary care and other services on Padden Parkway in Vancouver. The center would increase local access to primary and specialty pediatric medical care, and would offer a unique set of complementary services designed to improve well-being and restore patients to wholeness.

“This is an important moment for communities we serve,” said Providence Oregon Chief Executive Dave Underriner. “This is not just another doctor’s office. It’s not just another fitness center. This is about creating new approaches that will help people get healthy and stay healthy. This is about improving wellness and restoring wholeness to people we care about.”

Future initiatives are under consideration in various locations.

“We’re just delighted by this exciting opportunity,” said PeaceHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Liz Dunne. “This is what our communities have told us they want, and what they need. Together, we’ll help improve people’s lives in ways they never imagined.”

As Catholic health care organizations with similar heritages, Providence and PeaceHealth are uniquely suited to succeed together in collaborative ventures like this.

“Our missions align beautifully,” Dunne said. “We trace our roots to courageous women religious – past and present – who have dedicated their lives to meeting the needs of people and communities. Both organizations carry on the tradition and work of the Sisters today.”

The Affordable Care Act and other influences are empowering health care organizations to become much more proactive in improving the health of the populations they serve. Collaborating with like-minded organizations can produce exciting and much-needed innovations that will change lives for the better.

Providence and PeaceHealth will continue to work together to further define their collaborative efforts.

“The health and wellness center on Padden Parkway is just a first step,” Underriner said. “We’ll continue to explore other opportunities to work together. We’re excited about making a difference.”

Those other opportunities might be designed to meet the particular needs of certain population groups, as well as efforts to improve convenience and access to health and wellness services outside the walls of hospitals.

Providence and PeaceHealth also plan to explore jointly providing community benefits in selected neighborhoods, such as health screenings and educational offerings. More information about these joint offerings will be available as plans become more definitive.

“Life is meant to be lived with enthusiasm,” Dunne said. “Our ideas will help people become and stay healthy so they can make the most of life.”

About Providence Health & Services: Providence Health & Services is a not-for-profit Catholic health care ministry committed to providing for the needs of the communities it serves – especially for those who are poor and vulnerable. Providence’s services include 34 hospitals, 475 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services. The health system and its affiliates employ more than 76,000 people across five states – Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington – with its system office located in Renton, Washington. More than 20,000 of those caregivers work in Oregon, where Providence is the state’s largest private employer. In 2014, Providence provided more than $848 million in community benefit to help create healthier communities. Providence Health & Services continues a tradition of caring that the Sisters of Providence began nearly 160 years ago.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with about 800 providers, a laboratory system, and 10 medical centers. PeaceHealth was founded in 1890 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace to fill a need for healthcare services in the Pacific Northwest. The Sisters shared financial and personnel resources to open new hospitals. They shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for health care in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of collaboration and stewardship in fulfilling its mission. This is The Spirit of Health.

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