Published July 2001

Investing in women’s
health care
The $40 million Pavilion for Women and Children is scheduled to open early next year

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

The towering five-story steel frame of the Providence health-care system’s new $40 million Pavilion for Women and Children offers a dramatic hint of what this major regional facility will be when it opens in February.

Being built adjacent to other health-care facilities at Providence Everett Medical Center’s Pacific Avenue campus in Everett, the Pavilion will provide enhanced and expanded health-care services for women, babies and children in a five-county area.

Several major health-care areas will be served by the opening of the new center, including:

Obstetrical care — The new facilities will provide 40 single-room birthing suites for maternity care with a homelike environment for deliveries, more than double the number of current beds available for maternity care and delivery.

The new facilities will be able to handle 4,500 or more births annually, up from the present level of 3,200. In partnership with the University of Washington, the new Family Maternity Center will offer outpatient perinatology services for prenatal testing and care.

In addition, dedicated ante-partum and post-partum rooms, as well as services for high-risk and C-section patients, will be available. The Family Maternity Center also will offer a wide variety of childbirth preparation and parenting classes, as well as one-on-one newborn care and breast-feeding instruction.

Neonatal intensive care — Increased intensity of care for very early premature babies, with family-centered care so mothers can stay with their babies until they go home, including a 40-bed care unit and education resources. The rooms will include a sleeping sofa for the birth partner, a guest chair, a table and reading lamp, private shower, soaking tub, TV, VCR and compact disc player.

Working in a collaborative partnership with Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center of Seattle, the center will be able to treat newborns on ventilators or those with unstable infections who used to have to travel to Seattle for proper care. There will be three double rooms that allow hospitalized twins to stay together in the same room. Each room at the center will have a sleeper chair and rocking chair for the parents, as well as parent-controlled adjustable lighting.

Gynecological care — State-of-the-art surgery; breast health center for cancer screening, diagnosis and education; resource center for women’s health issues, including menopause, osteoporosis and cardiovascular health; and the development of midlife-crisis educational materials.

The Providence Everett Comprehensive Breast Center will be a collaborative partnership of breast-care medical experts from throughout Snohomish County. Women will be able to receive screening mammograms and complete evaluations of breast abnormalities, as well as having access to treatment, education and support services.

Pediatric services — Children from throughout Northwest Washington will be treated for everything from broken bones to major illness, in rooms designed especially for younger patients and their families.

The number of existing beds will increase from 14 to 20, each one featuring activities for children, such as interactive display walls; sleeper sofas; and private baths to allow parents to stay with their children as they recover. And there will be a special activity room for children and their siblings to play.

In addition to providing inpatient services, the new center will partner with Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center to offer sub-specialty outpatient clinics in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and neurology. There also will be community-focused care for chronic childhood conditions, including diabetes and asthma.

Children’s Center — Increased access for children with developmental and behavioral needs; play areas designed to assist in development; educational materials; and computer services for parents to learn about special-care needs.

The Family Resource Center will provide information, education, products and services that support the health and well-being of women and their families. Visitors will be able to obtain current literature, access the Internet, view educational videos and purchase health-care products.

The resource center also will provide a variety of screening programs for health issues such as heart disease, vascular disease, osteoporosis and diabetes; health education classes and support groups will be coordinated through the center; and The Gentle Touch store will specialize in material supplies and consultation.

“Our feeling is that we are the tertiary regional health-care center for this area. To justify that, we have to have a variety of programs, primarily focused on capital-intensive, high-cost and labor-intensive types of services. Often, people look to Seattle for many health-care services, so that’s where we’re looking to build our image. We can’t duplicate the University of Washington (Medical Center) or Fred Hutch (the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center) but we can do as well in some areas and better in others,” said Ray Crerand, the recently retired Chief Executive of the Everett medical facilities.

The 120,000-square-foot brick-and-glass building has been designed by NBBJ architects of Seattle, and Botesh, Nash and Hall of Everett, to take advantage of the beautiful Pacific Northwest surroundings, including views of the Port of Everett and Mount Baker. The contractor is Newland Construction Co. of Everett, working with The Robinson Co. of Seattle, the project’s construction management firm.

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