SNOQUALMIE, WA – Today, Snoqualmie Valley Health and Spacelabs Healthcare announced a collaboration to improve access to state-of-the-art patient care in small, rural, or underserved communities. Their shared mission of advancing health equity in every community and every population will be achieved by empowering providers and patients with innovative solutions, reducing barriers, and enabling access to connected care pathways. Snoqualmie Valley Health (SVH), comprised of a 25-bed critical access hospital and several clinics located 30 miles from Seattle, will test Spacelabs monitoring equipment, provide access to the hospital’s care teams, and open its facility to other healthcare systems to experience the equipment in action.
Spacelabs Healthcare has manufactured monitoring equipment since 1958. As a prime NASA contractor for the Gemini and Apollo missions, the company’s technology monitored Ed White’s historic Gemini IV spacewalk and Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon. Since then, Spacelabs’ innovations have advanced health monitoring and diagnostics for people and patients across the care continuum. Since the milestone spacewalk and moon landing, Spacelabs brought NASA-inspired equipment to civilian healthcare facilities.
Today, Spacelabs is taking a giant leap for critical access hospitals by committing to partner with Snoqualmie Valley Health, a public hospital district serving East King County, Washington. The partnership allows Spacelabs to continue refining its patient monitoring solutions, diagnostic tools, and clinical informatics in emergency, long-term, and clinic care settings.
“Snoqualmie may be a sleepy bedroom community down the road from Seattle, but what many don’t know is that we share a zip code with companies such as Spacelabs,” said Renee Jensen, Snoqualmie Valley Health CEO. “We knew we had something pretty special [collaboration] when both organizations realized the power in the partnership. 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.”
“Our mission is to enhance care team performance to achieve superior outcomes that save lives,” said Shalabh Chandra, president of Spacelabs Healthcare. “Partnering with SVH helps us to further our mission.”
The agreement was signed with Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross in attendance.
“We are thrilled at the partnership of Spacelabs and the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital to collaborate on technologies and equipment, which will result in greater access to state-of-the-art patient care for Snoqualmie Valley residents, said Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross. “This collaboration not only fosters positivity and health equity throughout our community but is also a great example of the economic vitality and strength of our Snoqualmie business community.”
King County Councilmember Sarah Perry also shared her excitement for the partnership.
“The collaboration between Snoqualmie Valley Health and Spacelabs Healthcare strengthens our entire region by opening opportunities and ensuring better outcomes for all,” Councilmember Perry said. “It takes innovative solutions to advance health equity and reduce barriers to accessible healthcare, and I’m looking forward to watching this joint vision develop and the great impact on the city of Snoqualmie and greater Snoqualmie Valley and learning of ways that the County can partner along the way.”
SVH is a member of the Rural Health Collaborative, a group of rural healthcare facilities working together to support each other in a time when rural hospitals are increasingly closing their doors or affiliating with larger systems in an effort to keep healthcare local in a post-COVID world. The challenges smaller hospitals face today are monumental, but keeping care local for growing communities is critical.