Providence Swedish invests in every community’s health and well-being

In this article: 

• In 2023, Providence Swedish invested a total of $547 million in communities across the Puget Sound region 
• Providence Swedish remains committed to understanding and addressing the health and wellness needs of every person who lives in the communities we serve. 
• Read our Providence’s 2023 Annual Report to Our Communities and learn how we care for our communities outside the hospitals. 

At Providence Swedish we are committed to extending patient care beyond our campuses. This work is central to our mission. It’s why we strive to continually reach out and give back to our communities.

To learn more about what we do in our communities and the mission that drives all of our work, read the 2023 Report to Our Communities which features many of the programs and initiatives we are proud to invest in and support. Including care for the uninsured, discounted care, uncompensated care, community and subsidized health services and community outreach and education, Providence Swedish invested $547 million in communities across the Puget Sound.   

“There is no higher Mission than to advocate for vulnerable populations and fight for needed changes in health care,” said Elizabeth Wako, M.D., president and CEO, Swedish Health Services. “We are passionate about investing in transformative projects that provide whole-person care to our community, both at our hospitals and across the communities we serve in the Puget Sound.” 

At Providence Swedish, our work is fueled by our commitment to understanding and addressing our communities’ health needs. We are dedicated to helping everyone in our communities thrive and live their healthiest lives. We’re equally committed to removing obstacles and dismantling the systemic barriers that have for too long kept too many from accessing lifesaving services and education.    

“There is no higher Mission than to advocate for vulnerable populations and fight for needed changes in health care. We are passionate about investing in transformative projects that provide whole-person care to our community, both at our hospitals and across the communities we serve in the Puget Sound.” 

 - Elizabeth Wako, M.D., president and CEO, Swedish Health Services

Every year, Providence Swedish conducts a community health needs assessment to better understand leading health concerns and issues for action. The 2023 report highlights key areas for lasting impact: foundations of health; the removal of barriers to care; community resilience; and innovating for the future.   

Support for our community health partners 

Providence Swedish supports the vital work of our community partners. These local organizations help us develop the most innovative and impactful ways to address community needs. They include: Kin On, where Providence Swedish provided supports doctor visits, home visits and other healthcare needs for the local Asian senior community; El Centro De La Raza, where our contribution helped benefit navigators enroll individuals in health insurance plans; and the Somali Health Board, where Providence Swedish’s contribution helped support culturally appropriate mental health and addiction care services.

In addition, we also provided support closer to home for initiatives like our LGBTQI+ program, which is expanding access to high-quality care for LGBTQI+ communities, and, at Swedish Ballard, a transformative model of care birthing people and their babies with a support program for substance-using pregnant people that provides multi-disciplinary, inpatient care, including medical withdrawal management and stabilization, psychosocial treatment, obstetric evaluation and care, 24-hour nursing care and parenting and childbirth education.  

Care by the numbers

While the report highlights our mission outside of the hospital walls, it’s also a window into our foundational mission of supporting the health and well-being of every community. In 2023, Providence Swedish supported $388 million in unpaid costs of Medicaid and other means-tested government programs; $59 million in free or discounted care for patients in need; $59 million in subsidies for health professions, education and research; and $14 million for community health improvement and strategic partnerships. 

This deep commitment to the people and communities we serve is in our DNA. In 2023, the Providence family of organizations provided nearly $2.1 billion in uncompensated care and other community services.

“Providence’s more than 165-year legacy of serving and investing in communities is rooted in a tradition of caring for those in need in partnership with the people we serve. To achieve our vision of health for a better world, Providence combines a long-standing commitment to improving community health with expertise in high-quality care to create healthy communities and promote health equity,” said Rod Hochman, president and CEO of Providence. “Our community benefit programs are vital to this vision. Each year, Providence ministries and affiliates identify unmet needs and respond with strategic investments in community health. These investments help ensure basic health needs are met and serve to remove barriers to care, build community resilience and innovate for the future.

About Providence Swedish

Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $406 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound Region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer care, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care.