'employees' posts

Kevin Brown


Marcel Loh

SEATTLE, April 1, 2013 – Swedish Health Services today announced that Chief Executive Kevin Brown is leaving Swedish to take a new position as CEO of Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta.

I first had the opportunity to speak with Sue Averill, one of Swedish's many incredible nurses, last year. As you may have read in her prior post, she's doing incredible work to serve in communities around the world, and shared a story from her recent work in Haiti that illustrates the art of nursing:

Last month I traveled with other nurses and doctors to Port Au Prince, Haiti, with Project Medishare, working at Bernard Mevs, the only neuro-surgical and trauma facility in the region. Project Medishare’s goal is to train Haitian doctors and nurses and to establish sustainable programs so the facility can function independently beyond the departure of expats. Among my role as ER and Triage nurse, I was anointed “The Hysteric Whisperer."

Many teenage girls and young women came to the hospital via ambulance or private vehicle presenting in catatonic states, hyperventilating or as “post-ictal seizure” patients. We soon learned that these were anxiety/panic attacks. One teenage girl was brought with ambulance lights blazing and sirens blaring for "seizures" – but made eye contact and was purposefully moving around in the gurney - not in a post-ictal state. The doctor approached the patient and shouted, "Prepare to intubate!"

Intubation was certainly not necessary. Three minutes later, I held the girl’s hands and helped her off the gurney and onto a chair.

With an astounded look on his face, the doctor asked “How did you do that? That was magic!” I ...

Thanksgiving has passed but the power of gratitude is timeless. As a Health Education Specialist for Swedish, I get the pleasure of working with wonderful patients, clinicians and staff every day. For this I am endlessly thankful. But how often do I express that?

How often do you express thanks to those in your life (coworkers, family, friends, random strangers?) who get you through bad moments, bad days or bad years even? Appreciation never goes out of style and even though the official holiday of thanks has passed, let me use this time to thank you all: blog readers, Facebook followers, patients,  providers and any and everybody that is part of the larger Swedish family.

It is amazing how far a simple phrase like “thank you” can go so why don’t we say it more? Ask ...

SEATTLE, April 30, 2012 - Swedish Employer Medical Assistance (EMA) was recently featured in a Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ) article published April 27 about the program and the services it provides to the cruise-ship, maritime and industrial companies throughout the region.

EMA Medical Director Ray Jarris, M.D., and Program Manager Laura Walden - along with a few EMA client representatives - were interviewed for the piece.

For those who have the day off today, we hope you enjoy it! While Labor Day is traditionally celebrated as a day off of work for many people, remember that it shouldn’t be a day to forget your health:

• If you’re spending the day outside, remember to wear sunscreen (yes, even in Seattle) and to stay hydrated

• A holiday doesn’t require junk food – here are some recipes and healthy ideas to help you celebrate

• As you do for other public celebrations, keep these safety tips in mind for your kids

• Adults and kids alike – remember to be careful crossing the street, and don’t text/IM/chat while doing so!

• If you are worried about your kids’ health on the weekend, here’s a tool to help – download our kids symptom checker for your phone or check it out online

• If you do have a health concern or an emergency that occurs over the holiday weekend, click here for maps, directions, and numbers to our facilities

Labor Day is also a great day to acknowledge and thank our employees for their tireless work year-round on behalf of our patients. To all of our employees - thank you for all that you do!

I recently had the opportunity to 'meet' one of the many great nurses at Swedish, Sue Averill. I say 'meet' because while I'm currently blogging from Seattle, she's volunteering her time in Guatemala and serving as a medical coordinator for a Doctors Without Borders project. Sue and another great nurse, Staci Kelley, are both ER nurses at Swedish Cherry Hill, Ballard, and Mill Creek. They started a non-profit organization three years ago to help nurses become involved in volunteer work at home and abroad. They offer a free directory of organizations using nurse volunteers that can be sorted to match nursing interests and skills to the needs. They also offer scholarships to help offset trip costs for nurses volunteering on international missions. 

I had the opportunity to chat online with Sue while she was in Guatemala to learn more about "One Nurse At A Time" and her passion for volunteer nursing:

You work as a nurse in Seattle, caring for patients in Swedish's emergency departments. What made you think about volunteering your extra time as a nurse?

Sue: In 1999 a friend of mine was volunteering for Healing the Children and needed a Spanish speaking nurse to work recovery on a facial surgery team in Guatemala. I went and in one week, was hooked! I loved the work, the people, the process, the culture, the kids. I learned so much and gained far more than I gave. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done and by far, the most rewarding.



What sparked your interest in volunteering abroad? How did you find out about opportunities for nurses?