Bill Howe

The board meeting included presentations on the annual customer engagement report, featuring patient experience benchmarks, and a preliminary quarterly financial review. The board approved the exercise of a purchase option for the Plaza Building, established 2026 Leader-At-Risk-Compensation organizational and divisional goals, and adopted new board policies regarding provider compensation and conflicts of interest. Additionally, the commissioners finalized their 2026 board committee assignments, reviewed the results of the 2025 board goals, and received updates regarding medical staff developments and administrative reports.

The board discussed the strategic planning and financial impacts of the Women's Health Service Line, including future recruitment needs. The financing plan for the 2-Silver and Plaza building projects was reviewed, focusing on a limited tax general obligation bond proposal. Additionally, the board provided consultation regarding the EvergreenHealth Monroe Master Facility Plan and the proposed ballot proposition for a replacement hospital. The meeting also included a review of the CEO's goals for 2026 and an assessment of the board's recent performance with plans to establish future goals.

The educational session meeting focused on presentations and discussions regarding key service lines. The Cardiac Service Line presentation detailed their vision for cardiovascular care, services offered such as various cardiac procedures, patient experience results, and noted a primary concern regarding the need for more space. The Ortho/Musculoskeletal (MSK) Service Line reviewed the scope of services including orthopedics and rehabilitation, community prevalence projections, current access and staffing metrics, and quality accolades. The Digestive Health Service Line discussed their current referral patterns, program expansions including Interventional Gastroenterology and the Endoscopic Anti-Reflux Program, key pioneering cases, and noted that Digestive Health has the highest access concerns and is the most frequently referred out specialty. Like the other service lines, the Digestive Health team also expressed a need for additional space.

The Business Meeting commenced with an Executive Session to discuss medical staff privileges, public employee performance, and quality improvement, followed by a public session. Key action items included the unanimous approval of the Consent Agenda, which covered the minutes from the December 16, 2025 meeting, Voucher No. 645 for December 2025 totaling $115,029,622, and various medical staff actions such as new appointments, reappointments, and status changes. Written reports included the 2025 credentialing committee summary, noting statistics on applications and resignations. Discussion topics included an update from the Medical Staff President on flu vaccine compliance and an upcoming Annual Medical Staff meeting. The CEO provided updates regarding welcoming new Medical Staff leadership, thanking the Board for attending the retreat, and expressing confidence for 2026 while highlighting the ongoing Magnet survey. Commissioners provided positive feedback regarding the Magnet meetings and the retreat guest speaker. Finally, the Board unanimously elected Commissioners for 2026 positions: Comm. Snyder as Chair and Comm. Cashman as Secretary.

The Special Meeting, held jointly with Snohomish County Public Hospital District No. 1 and the Alliance Governance Board, focused on discussing the strategic plan. Key discussion points included how the new 3-year strategic plan builds upon current successes, focusing on optimizing community health and wellness, expanding access to high-quality frictionless patient-centered care, and creating the best place to work and practice. The meeting featured a keynote presentation on compassionate patient-centered care by Allison Massari, followed by panel discussions on expanding access, community health, and building a resilient, team-focused workplace.