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Providence Swedish is committed to investing in our communities

Published Date
Author Swedish Communications

In this article: 

  • Read our 2022 Community Benefit Report and learn how we care for our communities outside the hospitals. 
  • Providence Swedish remains committed to understanding and addressing the health and wellness needs of the people who live in our communities. 
  • In 2022, Providence Swedish invested a total of $540 million in communities across the Puget Sound region.   

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.

We recently released our 2022 Community Benefit Report for Providence Swedish and Swedish Health Services, which feature 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 $540 million in communities across the Puget Sound.   

“While the past few years have challenged us all in many ways, caregivers have continued to serve our patients, community, and one another with compassion and the healing touch. We are excited for what the future brings, including continued investments and partnerships in the communities we serve,” said Elizabeth Wako, M.D., interim president and CEO, Swedish Health Services.   

 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.    

Every year, Providence Swedish conducts a community health needs assessment to better understand leading health concerns and issues for action. The 2022 report highlighted five key areas in which communities needed the most support: behavioral health, including mental health and substance abuse; homelessness and housing instability; substance abuse and drug addiction; racism and discrimination; and access to health care.

Supporting our partners in community health

Providence Swedish supports the vital work of more than 80 partners in our communities. These local organizations help us develop the most innovative and impactful ways to address community needs. They include: Kin On, where Providence Swedish provided support for more than 300 doctor visits, home visits and other healthcare needs for the local Asian senior community; West Seattle Food Bank, where 100% of our contribution helped prevent homelessness and displacement of its clients; 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 the Justice Unity Support Trust (JUST) Birth Network, which seeks to empower and improve the birthing experience of Black and Native birthing women and people from across the sex and gender identity spectrum.

“The investment in our communities is about seeing individuals whose experiences matter,” says JUST Birth Network founder, Sauleiha Akangbe, CO, PCD. “My goal is that Black and Native women who choose to give birth [at Providence Swedish] are protected, valued and empowered by the feeling of representation that comes with being cared for by people who look like and can relate to them.”  

Care by the numbers

While the report highlights our mission outside of the hospital walls, it also has the power to change policy and increase the visibility of our community partnerships that have always been a core part of our work. Providence Swedish supported $189 million in unpaid costs of Medicaid and other means-tested government programs; $36 million in free or discounted care for patients in need; $35 million in subsidies for health professions, education and research; and $7 million for community health improvement and strategic partnerships. In the last nine years, Swedish Health Services has spent a total of more than $1.5 billion in community benefit funding.

This deep commitment to the people and communities we serve is in our DNA. In 2022, the Providence family of organizations provided nearly $1.2 billion in uncompensated care and other community services.

"Together, we continued to meet the diverse needs of the people we serve, especially those who are poor and vulnerable," said Rod Hochman, president and CEO of Providence. 

“At Providence Swedish, we take seriously our commitment to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve across the Puget Sound,” said Dr. Wako. “It’s an honor to be part of a family of organizations dedicated to doing good.”

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.