Washington

Washington state hospital system ‘very fragile’ after two years of losses

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

Washington state hospital system ‘very fragile’ after two years of losses

Hospitals in Washington state continue to deal with daunting financial difficulties.

While hospitals generally fared a bit better in 2023 than in 2022, most hospitals are continuing to lose money, according to a survey by the Washington State Hospital Association. Some are cutting services and reducing beds.

During a media call Tuesday, Washington hospital leaders say some organizations are on the brink, and some aren’t poised to handle more financial pressures. Cassie Sauer, president and CEO of the Washington State Hospital Association, also pointed to financial difficulties from the Change Healthcare cyberattack, which has affected hospitals and healthcare providers nationwide.

“What we really see is that the state of Washington’s hospital system remains very fragile after experiencing more than two years of significant losses,” Sauer said. “And these losses are now being compounded by delayed payments from insurers and the impact of the cyber attack on Change Healthcare.”

‘Unprecedented, unsustainable’

Cumulatively, the state’s hospitals lost $3.8 billion in 2022 and 2023, said Eric Lewis, chief financial officer of the Washington State Hospital Association.

“These losses are unprecedented, unsustainable, and represent a huge-post COVID financial challenge,” Lewis said.

In 2023, the state’s hospitals had a -5.2% operating margin, which actually represents a bit of improvement from 2022, when the margin was -7%. Lewis said 85% of the state’s hospitals are losing money.

The state’s hospitals ran in the red during the first half of 2023, and the losses mounted as the year progressed. Washington’s hospitals took in more revenue in 2023, but the revenues were outpaced by higher expenses.

The net operating losses for Washington’s hospitals totaled $1.7 billion in 2023, compared to $2.1 billion in 2022.“The losses, though not as massive, continued,” Lewis said. He noted that the state’s hospitals have seen significant losses for eight consecutive quarters.

Adding to the difficulties, more residents in Washington are relying on Medicare and Medicaid, Sauer noted. Fewer people are using commercial insurance, which typically provides better reimbursements to hospitals.

“That piece of the pie that’s commercial has really diminished quite a lot,” she said.

‘A large hole’

Ettore Palazzo is the CEO of EvergreenHealth, a community-owned, two-hospital system based in Kirkland. He said, “These terms, unprecedented and unsustainable, are absolutely true. And there are other adjectives that we’re trying to come up with because it almost doesn’t seem like those words are really appropriate anymore.”

EvergreenHealth has lost $158 million over the past two years, he said.

To cut expenses, EvergreenHealth has had to reduce some positions, including some non-clinical positions and an executive role, Palazzo said. Some services have had to be cut, including a “helpline,” where residents could call nurses with health questions. The helpline had been operated for 30 years.

While EvergreenHealth has made some headway in reducing losses, Palazzo said the system still faces a difficult road.

“We have a large hole to climb out of,” Palazzo said. “And the thought of any other disruption, whether it be self-imposed, or as a result of another pandemic, or anything that changes the current, really delicate balance of how healthcare finances work now, could put all that in jeopardy. And I do worry about how hospitals will be addressing their capital needs as they work towards improvements.”

Closing delivery services

Cathy Bambrick, administrator of Astria Toppenish Hospital, a 63-bed community hospital, outlined some of the sober challenges her organization has faced. The hospital lost nearly $8 million in 2023, after losing $7.3 million in 2022.

The hospital serves one of Washington’s most impoverished and ethnically diverse regions, including a large Native American population. The hospital is the only one in the state located on a reservation.

Lawmakers are working with the hospital to sustain emergency and acute care services, but Bambrick said some services have had to be cut.

In December 2022, the hospital closed its labor and delivery unit, leaving local women with a drive of more than 30 minutes, even in good weather. “And you know, in eastern Washington, we have very difficult driving conditions in the winter,” Bambrick said.

The hospital typically delivered a baby a day, she said.

“We couldn’t have felt worse about closing that delivery unit,” she said.

In 2023, the hospital had to close its MRI service. “We are one of two hospitals in the state that doesn’t offer MRI services to its patients,” she said.

Needing a long-term remedy

Elise Cutter, CEO of Island Health in Anacortes, an independent, public hospital district, including a 43-bed facility, along with primary and specialty care clinics. Island Health is at a -12% margin over the past two years, she said.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in costs, yet have not seen corresponding increases in the payment for care,” Cutter said.

Even though Island Health operates a small hospital, Cutter noted that it’s “too big” for enhanced funding for rural providers from the federal government.

Despite the financial hurdles, Island Health’s hospital has received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the past two years, she says.

“We need to find a long-term solution to ensure that independent, rural public hospital districts like Island Health can continue to be the safety net for our community, and provide 5-star care close to home,” Cutter said.

‘Heartbreaking decisions’

In addition to the losses, Sauer pointed to the gut-wrenching decisions some hospitals have had to make to reduce services in order to stay afloat. Even seemingly minor decisions, such as reducing a couple of beds, matters to people who are seeking care, she said.

“Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen hospitals make both what seemed like mundane, but also heartbreaking decisions, about service reductions and closures that are done to preserve access to other hospital services,” Sauer said.

And some of those decisions mean patients are waiting longer for the care they need, whether it’s closing a unit or even a couple of beds, she said.

“If you’re someone who’s looking for care, it can be a really big deal that your hospital now has less capacity,” Sauer said.

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Related Topics:astria evergreenhealth Featured hospital island-health toppenish washington wsha

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Washington

How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington

Published

5 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington

On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.

For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.

Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.

Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.

The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.

Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.

The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.

Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.

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Washington

Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC

Published

17 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC

Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.

Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.

Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.

End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.

Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.

Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared

À La Carte Menu

Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit

Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit

Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit

Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup

Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce

Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette

Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16

Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus

Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables

New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts

Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake

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Washington

Storm Team4 Forecast: Beautiful Mother’s Day morning with chance of late showers

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: Beautiful Mother’s Day morning with chance of late showers

4 things to know about the weather:

Nice Mother’s Day morning
Shower chance late Sunday
Morning showers on Monday
Temperature drop to start the new workweek

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! Mother Nature will give us nice conditions for most of the day on Sunday. Expect sunshine and mild conditions for the first half of the day, then a chance of showers near dinner time.

Monday includes a chance of rain, mainly in the morning, then cooler air settles into the area. Highs go from near 80°on Sund ay to the mid 60s Monday.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.