Community Programs
As a non-profit health system, Providence Swedish is honored to support the vital work of local nonprofit organizations. We support organizations that work to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we collectively serve, and align with our mission and vision and community health needs assessment priorities.
Providence Swedish, in collaboration with King County’s Hospitals for a Healthier Community, conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years. This led to hospital-specific Community Health Improvement Plans. These assessments and plans help shape grants, program support and event sponsorships included in our Community Benefit distribution. In keeping with our Mission, it is another way we are responsive to the needs of our communities.
The four Puget Sound Central hospital facilities (Ballard, Cherry Hill, First Hill, and Issaquah) identified unmet needs and health improvement activities with a focus on:
- Health care access and delivery (emphasizing Mental and Behavioral Health for youth and adults): Needs across King County include more access to behavioral health services for youth and adults, screenings for chronic diseases, maternal health, and health care coverage.
- Equity and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Needs across King County include poverty & economic insecurity, unemployment and underemployment, language barriers, systemic racism, and discrimination.
Submit an application for funding or event sponsorship.
Priorities through 2024: Behavioral health, homelessness/housing instability, access to healthcare, and race discrimination within healthcare.
Swedish complies with Stark and other federal non-profit legal requirements as well as community reporting guidelines.
Access the 2024 documents - CHNA system goals and What counts for CHNA partnership funding.
Priorities for 2025 will be available with the CHNA 2025-2027, posting here in October.
In support of Swedish’s mission to improve the health and well-being of each person we serve and continuing Swedish’s long-standing commitment to improve the health of our region, Swedish has partnered with Washington Global Health Alliance, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and HealthPoint to address disparities in local healthcare through a groundbreaking initiative: Global to Local.
This program offers hundreds of classes a year and is committed to helping patients, families and the communities make informed choices about their health. The program offers classes and support groups on topics such as cancer, childbirth, diabetes, orthopedics, nutrition, safety and injury prevention, stress management and more.
Arming patients with health information they need allows them to make informed decisions and to be advocates in their care.
The Ballard Teen Health Center is a partnership between Swedish and Ballard High School to provide students at the school with physical and mental-health services. Teens visit the center for treatments ranging from illnesses and injuries to confidential family-planning services, STD testing and mental-health counseling.
The center, which was started by Swedish in 2002, also provides smoking-cessation programs, nutrition and exercise counseling, general health information and school-wide health promotion and classroom presentations. The center targets adolescents who are uninsured or underinsured and those who have no other options for medical care and counseling.
Swedish Medical Center (Ballard and First Hill locations) is a training site for the Seattle School District’s Transitional Programs. Students with diagnosed disabilities which affect the student’s learning and who are chosen by the District to participate, receive specifically-designed instruction, coaching in life skills, and opportunities for vocational programs.
The Mobile Mammography Program is dedicated to bringing high-quality mammography services to women throughout Western Washington, primarily those in underserved and hard-to-reach areas. The program includes two Breast Care Express coaches which deliver experienced technologists and mammography equipment to locations convenient for women - places in their community or at their workplace.
In 2012, the Swedish Mobile Mammography Program provided mammograms to 6,660 women. To reach women who need these vital - and often life-saving - breast-health services, Swedish joins with important community partners such as International Community Health Services ,the YWCA, Center for Multicultural Health, Senior Services of Seattle/King County, the Rainier Park Community Clinic and North Seattle Public Health Center. Swedish also works closely with Planned Parenthood of Clallam County.
The Swedish Patient Assistance Fund provides patients and their families with financial support for a range of items and services, including utility bills, wheelchairs and walkers, rent and mortgage assistance, skilled nursing and home care, and more. Food banks, clothing banks, patient transportation and comfort therapies for hospice patients are also part of this program.
“I was past due,” said Trang Nguyen, a Seattle resident, about her annual mammogram. But while attending the Tết Festival, an annual celebration of the Vietnamese New Year, she saw the Swedish Mobile Mammography bus parked outside.
At first, Nguyen was hesitant to receive a mammogram on a bus, but she realized that timing was important. “I am not sure how long I would have waited before making an appointment for my mammogram,” she said. “It was convenient to have this screening performed right there. The technician was thoughtful and explained each procedure she was going to do before she did it.”
Mobile mammography was just one of the resources available at the first-ever Tết Festival health fair in 2015. Through a $2,000 community investment and about 50 hours of volunteer service, Swedish Health Services provided a variety of health care resources at the vent: free flu vaccines, BMI and nutrition counseling, biometric and blood pressure screenings, dental and vision care, health insurance enrollment assistance and more. When all was said and done, over 200 people received care and referrals.
The health fair is one example of Swedish’s commitment to meeting community needs. Through a community health needs assessment, Swedish identified significant health needs including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking and access to dental care within the local Vietnamese and Asian American populations.
Many health fair attendees commented on the positive interactions with Swedish volunteers were the best they have ever had with health care professionals. Communication barriers were removed through the availability of services such as “Ask the Doc” with Swedish primary care providers, InDemand Interpreting and health information printed in Vietnamese language.
Through a network of community partners, Swedish looks forward to the continued success of this event and the opportunity to serve more people in the future.
Swedish Family Medicine Residency clinics select residents from the nation's top medical schools to provide the best care to people of all ethnic backgrounds and financial situations. Physician residents treat patients regardless of their ability to pay, logging more than 41,000 patient visits each year. In addition to seeing patients at our First Hill. Ballard, and Cherry Hill Clinics, the Family Medicine Residents also provide care through partnerships with the SeaMar Community Health Clinic, Seattle Indian Health Board, Carolyn Downs Family Health Center, and Downtown Family Medicine Clinic.
The Chemically Using Pregnant Women’s Program (CUPW) is an inpatient treatment center at Swedish Ballard. The program is only for pregnant women, and focuses on their particular needs. The CUPW program has been serving pregnant women from the northwest for over 25 years. Treatment includes three to five days of medical detoxification/stabilization followed by an intensive inpatient program totaling 26 days of treatment.
Get more information about treatment for pregnant women with chemical dependency.
This program is a partnership between Seattle University Law School and Swedish Medical Center, known as the Public Benefits Assistance Project, Medical Legal Partnership between Seattle University School of Law and Swedish Medical Center. Modeled after the preeminent national model of medical legal partnerships—National Center for Medical Legal Partnership—the SU SMC program started in spring of 2010.
The main task of the SU SMC Public Benefits Assistance Project—Medical Legal Partnership (PBAP-MLP) is to identify and enroll eligible Swedish Family Medicine, 1st Hill Clinic patients age 50 and above into a public benefit program known as the COPES program. Both Swedish Medical and Seattle U School of Law have a strong commitment to financial justice, believing it to be a direct contributor to health and wellness. SMC patients live in the greater Seattle urban area, including many in the urban core.
The immediate impact of community members’ enrollment is to build a social safety and wellness net. First, specific patient needs are systematically addressed in the formal assessment tool. Medical transport, hygiene, nutrition, medication reminders, medical appointment reminders, and concrete medical devices are just some of the customized care plan. Second, the patient perceives a stronger sense of social connection. Third, a coordinated care team enhances provider collaboration and communication. Finally, unmet needs due to financial paucity are eliminated.
You and your children deserve WIC. WIC is a supplemental food and preventive health program for pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5.
WIC can provide:
- Monthly vouchers for nutritious food: milk, eggs, cheese, cereals, juices and peanut butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and lentils.
- Breastfeeding information and support
- Friendly, caring service
- Nutrition and health information
- Growth measurements
- Access to a wide range of referrals to community services
50% of all babies born in Washington State are eligible for WIC. Income guidelines are generous and include working families on a tight budget, unemployed families and families on public assistance, including SNAP (food stamps), disability or Medicaid insurance.
To find out if your family is eligible visit www.parenthelp123.org.
Swedish has made investments to nearly 83 local organizations, agencies and groups to support the vital work each is doing in the Puget Sound area. email Kelly Guy for list of current agencies.