Kadlec: New facilities will increase access to care

“This was one of the hardest days in my 15 years at Kadlec due to the sheer volume of patients. But walking out to the car I became extremely emotional as I realized the awesome teamwork of every nurse, every manager, every staff member today who went the extra mile, put in that extra effort to take just ‘one more patient’. I am so proud to say I work at Kadlec.”

— Kadlec nurse

Kadlec has more than 3,700 dedicated caregivers providing around-the-clock health service to patients of the Tri-Cities and surrounding region. The comment above from one of our nurses embodies what it’s been like at Kadlec in recent months to meet the unprecedented demands for care.

The flu outbreak stretched the entire Tri-Cities healthcare system, but I’m proud to say the spirit and compassion shown by our team makes me honored to work at Kadlec. To our caregivers, I say thank you. Day after day, night after night, our team answers the call of every person we serve, knowing them, caring for them, and easing their way. That is our promise to you.

As we begin a new year, I’m pleased to share some strategies and accomplishments that will bolster the health and healthcare of our community.

Two of our proudest accomplishments are to be one of only seven hospitals in the state of Washington to earn a five-star rating for quality and safety from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Additionally, Kadlec is an A-rated hospital by Leapfrog, a national organization that tracks and rates hospitals based on their quality of care. This success can be achieved only through the teamwork, collaboration and expertise of our employees.

One area where we are challenged is in the area of access to care. There simply are not enough providers to meet the demand for our services. But we are making progress. With an additional urgent care and 2 Express Care clinics, our ability to respond to the need is increasing.

I’m happy to report that later this year, we will be adding 2 more Express Care clinics to be located in Walgreens stores at Road 68 in Pasco and north Richland on George Washington Way. Express Care allows for same-day, 20-minute appointments that can be conveniently scheduled online at expresscare.kadlec.org.

Our affiliation with Providence St. Joseph Health is responsible for the innovative Express Care concept. Connecting to Providence also has strengthened our ability to provide specialty and emergency care throughout the Tri-Cities and the region we serve.

Through telehealth, we have been able to bring vital treatments like neurology stroke care and psychiatry to rural hospitals and clinics. Telehealth will also play a role in an important new clinic at Kadlec for ALS patients. This is a partnership with experts at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle allowing for critical treatment and support for patients with ALS.

Finally, I want to recognize an amazing group of people at Kadlec, our volunteers. From the members of our boards, to the Kadlec Auxiliary, we’re incredibly grateful for their generosity with their time and money. In 2017, the Kadlec Auxiliary gifted Kadlec with unprecedented support committing over $1 million to Kadlec Foundation to back programs such as Healthy Ages and Kadlec Academy. Equally as impressive was their more than 60,000 hours of volunteer work easing the way for patients in our hospital and clinics.

Thank you to the Tri-City Herald for the opportunity to share our plans for the future. Please know all of us are deeply committed to this community to carry out our mission of providing safe, compassionate care.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Kadlec: New facilities will increase access to care."