Snoqualmie Valley Health has inked a deal with a local equipment provider, hoping the collaboration will improve access to cutting-edge care in the Valley and across other rural and underserved communities nation-wide.
Snoqualmie Valley Health (SVH) CEO Renee Jensen and Spacelabs Healthcare President Shalabh Chandra signed the partnership agreement during a public ceremony Monday afternoon.
According to the agreement, SVH and Spacelabs are aiming for their partnership to produce innovative solutions and reduce barriers to health. The goal, the agreement says, is producing health equity, where patients receive quality care regardless of social status.
“We believe that by working together and leveraging the power of our nimble, passionate, innovative teams we will advance health equity across the country – not just here in Snoqualmie,” Jensen said. “We’ve got some big dreams.”
The partnership will allow SVH staff to test and use Spacelabs’ monitoring equipment in its hospital and clinic facilities, while demonstrating their benefit to other healthcare providers. Jensen said the agreement provides SVH staff with the equipment they need to treat more patients.
Spacelabs equipment helps healthcare providers make the right decisions at the right times, Chandra said. The partnership, he noted, will help influence future company decisions.
“Our mission is to enhance care team performance to achieve superior outcomes that save lives,” Chandra said. “Partnering with SVH helps us to further our mission.”
Spacelabs Healthcare has manufactured patient monitoring equipment since 1958. Notably, it was a contractor for NASA during its Gemini and Apollo Missions. Its equipment monitored Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, according to a press release.
“We took a moonshot then and now with [SVH] and this partnership we plan to take another moonshot,” Chandra said.
Spacelabs has since adapted its NASA-based equipment to civilian health care settings. The company has global distribution reach, but its corporate headquarters are in Snoqualmie Ridge.
Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross praised the partnership for improving health outcomes while also supporting the city’s business community.
“This collaboration not only fosters positivity and health equity throughout our community,” she said during the signing agreement, “but is also a great example of the economic vitality and strength of our Snoqualmie business community.”
Jensen said when she and Chandra first met two years ago they realized they could “do something really special for our community.”
“A partnership like this will not only impact healthcare in rural settings, it will also help with efficiency, quality, and an increase in positive patient outcomes across the nation,” she said.
