Swedish Officials Report Safe, Quality Care Continues Uninterrupted on First Day of Strike

Safe, quality care continues uninterrupted on the first day of a three-day strike called by SEIU 1199NW at all Swedish campuses. The strike began at 7 a.m. today and will conclude at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, January 31. 

We are deeply grateful that a significant number of represented caregivers made the personal choice to report to work and serve our patients. It is important for our patients, their families and our community to know that they can continue to count on Swedish to provide high-quality, safe and compassionate care during the strike. 

We are pleased that operations are running smoothly at all of our campuses. When striking caregivers left their units this morning, replacement workers were brought onto patient floors to take their place and provide care to our patients. We are grateful to our physicians, nurse managers and other medical staff for their leadership in ensuring a safe transition of patient care.  

Swedish is continuing to provide the services we expected to provide during the strike. Swedish announced over the weekend that the Ballard and Redmond emergency departments, and Ballard Labor and Delivery, are closed during the strike and will reopen Friday morning. Since the strike began, there have been no patient care incidents related to those closures.