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HealthNews

Upcoming Parent/Family Events

HealthNews · June 12, 2025 ·

Park Ramble

Every Tuesday at 10 AM North Alder Street Park

Join us for a walk outside with other new families moving through this parenting journey.


Baby Club

June 14

Baby Club Registration

Peer support group for mother with babies 0-2 years. Childcare available with registration, walk-ins ok. Free!


Family Expressive Arts

June 19

Family Expressive Arts Support Group

  • Family wellness through creative art expression.
  • Free to families with babies 0-2 years.
  • Pizza dinner provided

4th Trimester Resource Center

The 4th Trimester Resource Center provides focused attention on mothers and infants during the postpartum period for timely education, care and assistance. As an extension of the KVH Family Birthing Place, the 4thTRC works in coordination with care providers and community partners in service of postpartum families.

4thTrimester@kvhealthcare.org

Postpartum 509.933.7593 / Lactation 509.962.7388

We are located to the right of the main hospital entrance. Just look for our front porch. 708 E Manitoba Ave, Ellensburg, WA 98926

KVH Staff Highlight: Deb Callins Appointed to County Advisory Board

HealthNews · June 9, 2025 ·

We love celebrating team members who make a difference both here at KVH and out in the community. Meet Deb Callins, who joined us in 2024 after spending much of her career serving rural communities in Idaho.

In March 2025, Deb was selected to serve on the Kittitas County Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Advisory Board. This board plays a vital role in reviewing and recommending funding for local programs that address mental health challenges, substance use treatment, and therapeutic court services. These initiatives are supported by a portion of local sales tax, which the county has designated to improve behavioral health outcomes.

One example Deb highlighted is the work of Comprehensive Healthcare, a local nonprofit that places case managers directly in the Emergency Department. These professionals provide real-time support to patients experiencing a mental health crisis and help connect them with the resources they need.

At KVH, we applaud Deb’s service and leadership. Her voice on the advisory board reflects our broader mission to build healthier communities through coordinated and compassionate care.

Full Facebook Post

KVH Joins TeamBirth: Elevating Communication and Safety During Labor and Birth

HealthNews · May 2, 2025 ·

At Kittitas Valley Healthcare, we believe that every birth story deserves care that’s not only safe and skilled, but deeply personal because life’s most meaningful moments should be met with compassion, clarity, and connection. That’s why we’re proud to announce our participation in TeamBirth, a nationally recognized initiative designed to improve communication and safety during labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

What Is TeamBirth?
TeamBirth is a best-practices program developed by Ariadne Labs, a health systems innovation center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In collaboration with the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), the program is now being implemented in hospitals across the state, including here at KVH.

The core idea behind TeamBirth is simple yet transformative: make sure everyone involved in a birth, the patient, their support team, and clinical staff—is on the same page. The program formalizes “huddles” at key points during the hospital stay, such as admission, any significant changes in condition, or when important care decisions are being made. These huddles take place in the patient’s room and are anchored by a shared whiteboard that clearly outlines care plans, preferences, and updates.

Why This Matters
Childbirth is deeply personal. It’s also unpredictable. By implementing TeamBirth, we’re creating a system where patients are heard and supported, and where care teams are aligned every step of the way. The program promotes shared decision-making and empowers the person giving birth to be an informed, active participant in their care.

We’re excited to join 11 other hospitals across Washington in this latest rollout—representing the fourth cohort of hospitals bringing TeamBirth to our communities. Since the program’s introduction in 2023, 38 hospitals in Washington and Oregon have already adopted the model. The goal: to achieve 100% adoption across Washington’s birthing hospitals by the end of 2025.

Looking Ahead
KVH’s participation in TeamBirth underscores our long-standing commitment to high-quality, patient-centered maternity care. It’s a step forward in ensuring that every family we serve feels safe, respected, and supported from their first contraction to their baby’s first cry.

We are honored to be part of this movement and look forward to sharing more about the program’s impact in the months to come.

Reference: Fourth Cohort of Washington Hospitals launching TeamBirth to improve communication, safety throughout labor and birth (by: WHSA)

Maternal Health Awareness Day

HealthNews · January 23, 2025 ·

January 23, 2025, marks Maternal Health Awareness Day, an important occasion to reflect on the health and well-being of mothers both globally and locally. It highlights the challenges many women face during pregnancy and childbirth, while emphasizing the urgent need for better care, resources, and support in communities everywhere. Whether in remote areas or urban centers, raising awareness can help ensure that all mothers, regardless of their location, have access to the care they deserve, paving the way for a healthier future for mothers and their children.

KVH is dedicated to supporting local families and maternal health through 4th Trimester Resource Center and KVH Women’s Health clinic.

Kittitas County Public Health – Address Confirmed Pertussis Case

HealthNews · December 18, 2024 ·

The Kittitas County Public Health Department has issued a press release regarding a confirmed case of pertussis (Whooping Cough) in the area.

Visit WA State Department of Health for more information https://ow.ly/bsbE50UtNPx

Read their full press release here > https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/press/default.aspx?prID=12047

Kittitas County Public Health is Working with Ellensburg High School to Address Pertussis

Farewell to KVH CEO Julie Petersen

HealthNews · December 4, 2024 ·

As Julie Petersen retires after eight and a half years as CEO of Kittitas Valley Healthcare, we should recognize the incredible work she’s done for the people of Kittitas County. When the Board hired Julie in 2016, we knew that she had a strong financial background, having served as CFO and CEO at Prosser, and she came highly recommended by other healthcare leaders. As a CWU graduate, it was also something of a homecoming for her. The Board was confident that we were hiring the right person for the job. But we couldn’t have anticipated just how much she would contribute to our community.

With the support of the Board, Julie’s primary goal has been to provide greater access to healthcare services in Kittitas County and to do so in a financially sustainable way, so that KVH can remain a locally controlled community hospital. Julie saw the growing demand for services here and vowed to keep care local, so people didn’t have to travel over a pass to get treatment. Under her leadership, KVH began to offer many new specialty services, including cardiology, neurology, vascular surgery, nephrology, maternal fetal medicine, pediatrics, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), workplace health, wound care, dermatology, and inpatient dialysis. KVH has also expanded existing services, including physical therapy, and now has a 24-hour outpatient pharmacy and a rapid access clinic. To handle our growth, KVH purchased and renovated the Medical Arts Center and the Radio Hill Annex. We are almost finished with the expansion of our operating rooms, which will greatly increase the number of surgeries our clinicians can perform. Because of physician shortages and low reimbursement rates, several hospitals in Washington state have had to close their OB/GYN practices, especially in rural areas. Julie has maintained those services here so residents don’t have to travel to Yakima to deliver their babies.

Since 2017, the population of Kittitas County has stayed roughly the same as it is now: about 46,000. Yet the number of patient encounters (appointments) has grown by 60 percent: from 67,757 in 2017 to 108,250 this year. The number of unique patients we serve has grown from 26,201 in 2018 to 38,105 in 2023. It can be frustrating when you have to wait weeks to see your doctor, but KVH is doing its best to keep up with patient demand.

What is perhaps most impressive is that, under Petersen’s watch, KVH has done all this while remaining financially solvent. Rural hospitals confront unique financial challenges, which has led to the closure of 193 rural hospitals in the U.S. since 2005. Many others have merged with or been acquired by larger systems – 58 already this year. Unlike many other healthcare organizations in Washington and elsewhere, KVH has maintained a positive operating margin – this despite the fact that Kittitas County Public Hospital District 1 has the lowest tax levy of any other public hospital district in the state.

Julie is one of the most respected healthcare executives in the Northwest. She has had several leadership positions with the Washington State Hospital Association, the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, and the American Hospital Association. She has maintained positive relationships with our elected officials in both Olympia and Washington, DC. She received WSHA’s Joe Hopkins Award in 2022, “a lifetime achievement award for a health care leader who has made outstanding contributions to health care in the state, especially to rural health care.”

Behind the scenes, Julie has performed many acts of kindness and sacrifice that are too numerous to mention. Julie has always been transparent with and taken direction from the elected commissioners. She refused to be given a raise that was any higher than what the unions negotiated for themselves. When hospitals were losing revenue during the COVID pandemic because of freezes on non-emergency procedures (among other things), no employee was fired or had their pay cut. Julie has also promoted people from within. She has mentored the new CEO, Jason Adler, and the other members of the Senior Leadership Team to become excellent leaders in their own right – thus helping to make the organization strong beyond her tenure as CEO.

I can’t think of anyone who has had as much of a positive impact on Kittitas County over the last eight and a half years. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank her for her dedication to the well-being of the people of Kittitas County, both patients and KVH’s nearly 800 employees. Personally, I am grateful for her intelligence, her dry sense of humor, and her moral character. It’s been a pleasure to work with such a smart and savvy CEO who’s also always trying to do the right thing.

Matt Altman is President of the KVH Board of Commissioners and a professor at Central Washington University

Jason Adler appointed as next CEO of KVH

HealthNews · November 11, 2024 ·

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Adler as the next Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of Kittitas County Public Hospital District #1, dba Kittitas Valley Healthcare.  Jason will assume these responsibilities on December 12, upon the retirement of Julie Petersen, current CEO.

Jason has been with KVH since 2014, beginning his journey with us as a Financial Analyst and most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer. He brings extensive experience in healthcare finance and reimbursement and has played a pivotal role in our rural networks. Jason shares the Board’s vision of continued growth and expanded access to healthcare services. He and his family are deeply committed to Kittitas County, and they look forward to raising their children in this community. We are confident that Jason is the right person to lead KVH into the future.

We will celebrate this transition on December 10 at 3:00p.m. with a small reception in the KVH Hospital Café.   Please join us as we thank Julie for her years of service and welcome Jason into this new role.

National Shortage of IV Solution

HealthNews · November 8, 2024 ·

The United States is experiencing a severe national shortage of IV solution. IV solution is used in many ways in hospitals and health care settings, including to treat dehydration, to deliver medications, to stabilize blood pressure, to help with blood transfusions, and during many surgeries. While we at Kittitas Valley Healthcare are experiencing shortages of IV solution, we are ready and available to provide emergency care. All hospitals are taking multiple steps to conserve supply, including rescheduling some less time-sensitive procedures and changing the way we deliver care in accordance with expert state and national guidance in order to reserve IV solution.

The shortage was caused when Hurricane Helene damaged the North Carolina manufacturing plant that produces about 60 percent of the IV solution used in America. We are carefully managing our supply of IV solution to make sure patients who need it most can receive the fluids they need. We are using strategies to conserve supplies. For example, if you come in for care you may be asked to drink fluids before and during your stay rather than receiving fluid through an IV, or your medication may be delivered in a different way.

We are in daily communication with government agencies and our IV solution supplier seeking to increase supply as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your provider with specific questions about your care.

Safe Sleep Initiative

HealthNews · September 5, 2024 ·

Watch video in Spanish

Cribs for Kids supports families in need nationwide in obtaining separate, safe sleeping spaces for their babies. To serve communities nationwide, we partner with local agencies to distribute Cribs for Kids Cribette Portable Cribs to their communities. If you or someone you know is in need of a safe space to sleep for their baby, search on the map below to find the closest Cribs for Kids Partner in your area. 

Local Resource

Kittitas County Coroners‘ Office has partnered with Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Initiative to Help Prevent Infant Mortalities since 2020. Please visit Cribs for Kids website (https://cribsforkids.org/) for more information.

Find a Crib Provider

Obtain a Cribette portable crib from a Cribs for Kids Partner in your area.  

Resources

  • Cribs for Kids Concepts and Definitions
  • Cribs for Kids Concepts and Definitions(español)
  • Training Link: Safe Sleep Ambassador – Cribs for Kids
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