A strategic alliance between Valley Medical Center and UW Medicine is now official, following approval Thursday by the University of Washington Board of Regents.
The alliance between UW Medicine and Public Hospital District No. 1, which owns Valley Medical, becomes effective July 1.
Valley Medical will join Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, UW Neighborhood Clinics, UW Physicians, UW School of Medicine and Airlift Northwest as part of UW Medicine.
The alliance was approved in May in a 3-2 vote by Valley’s Board of Commissioners and unanimously by the trustees of UW Medicine.
The creation of the strategic alliance follows several months of in-depth due diligence, discussion with respective boards, communication with key stakeholders, and preparation of a strategic alliance agreement, which was approved by the governing boards of both organizations.
“This strategic alliance provides exciting opportunities to combine efforts on important initiatives that will benefit patients and the community,” said Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine, said in a press release. “UW Medicine and Valley Medical Center share a commitment to providing outstanding clinical care with an emphasis on patient safety and service. This alliance will further support our mission to improve the health of the public and enhance our ability to provide national leadership for healthcare reform.”
Rich Roodman, Valley Medical’s CEO, said in “my 28 years at Valley Medical Center, the work of the President’s Advisory Council in guiding us toward a strategic alliance with UW Medicine is the most significant and visionary accomplishment that has been made on behalf of our community because it will help facilitate the most comprehensive clinical care available for the people in our community.
“The possibilities from aligning with a world-class organization of this caliber are endless, and well deserved by the people of South King County. I applaud the Valley Board of Commissioners, the UW Medicine Board of Trustees and the UW Board of Regents for their decisions to proceed,” he said.
