This year, Swedish Issaquah celebrates its 10th anniversary. Swedish broke ground in 2009; it was the perfect salve to our community as Issaquah Highlands suffered the impacts of the recession. In just two short years, the community commemorated the 2011 grand opening of Swedish Issaquah with a Highlands Day festival on its campus, themed “Commit to Fit.” The economy was on the rebound, and there was much to celebrate.
Swedish Issaquah is much more than a hospital and medical center. The facility has boutiques, a café, conference rooms, and multi-use facilities for community use. It also has an impressive public art collection, pedestrian paths with incredible views, and indoor/outdoor spaces for casual gatherings and meetups. Swedish Issaquah is a community facility that complements the uniqueness of our urban village.
Swedish Issaquah groundbreaking in 2009.
Highlands Day festival at Swedish Issaquah in 2011.
Pink bench donated by the IHCA in support of Swedish Issaquah breast cancer patients.
Banner hung from the Highlands Drive Northeast pedestrian bridge in support of Swedish Issaquah amidst the pandemic crisis in 2020.
Swedish Issaquah staff say “thank you” for the community’s support in providing meals and snacks for hardworking staff in 2020.
Community members signed a large banner to show appreciation to Swedish Issaquah staff in 2021.
This community shows its love for Swedish Issaquah in many ways. In the past, neighborhood teens painted ceiling tiles to make pediatric examination rooms more kid-friendly. The Issaquah Highlands Community Association (IHCA) donated pink benches for the pedestrian path, supporting those fighting breast cancer inside the facility. And in 2020, during the pandemic crisis, neighbors donated money to feed Swedish employees, signed and hung banners of support of its essential workers, hand-made signs of encouragement, and prayed for and sent thoughts of healing to patients inside.
We look forward to when Swedish Issaquah can become a gathering place for coffee, knitting with friends by the fireplace, and bumping into a neighbor in the gift shop again. So much more than a medical center and hospital, we are so fortunate to have Swedish Issaquah in Issaquah Highlands.
The video below is a “thank you” from Swedish Issaquah to our community. Watch to learn what Swedish executives and staff find most remarkable about this medical center and its service in our region.
Christy Garrard is the Highlands Council executive director, president and chair of the Issaquah Highlands Community Fund, and a Dahlia Park resident. Video was produced and provided by Swedish Issaquah.
