Profile: Verdant Health Commission
A driving force in regional health care
The Verdant Community Wellness Center serves as a central hub for programs that promote health and well being.
When Swedish introduced us to Verdant in 2011, the benefits of a partnership were clear. Verdant’s mission — to improve the health and well-being of its community — aligns perfectly with ours.
—Sallie Neillie, Executive Director (2006–June 2017)Project Access Northwest
Verdant Health Commission has generously awarded Project Access Northwest a second, three-year, $270,000 grant to expand medical and dental services in south Snohomish County.
“We are so grateful for Verdant’s ongoing support,” says Executive Director Sallie Neillie. “When Swedish introduced us to Verdant in 2011, the benefits of a partnership were clear. Verdant’s mission — to improve the health and well-being of its community — aligns perfectly with ours.”
George Kosovich, Verdant’s assistant superintendent, explains why Verdant’s board supports Project Access Northwest: “The direct service piece is huge,” he says. “Patients get care they wouldn’t otherwise receive, and sometimes that is literally lifesaving.”
An innovative approach to community wellness
A driving force in health care in Snohomish County, Verdant pursues its mission in innovative ways, frequently partnering with other organizations that serve the same community.
When Verdant opened its 9,000-square-foot Community Wellness Center in Lynnwood earlier this year, it created a welcoming, vital community hub and invited like-minded organizations to host classes, workshops, speakers and meetings there. On any given day, a resident can walk into Verdant and find Northsound 2-1-1 working out of a back office, while a class on healthy eating is held upstairs, next to a support group for those dealing with anxiety and depression. As long as the organizations and programs align with Verdant’s mission of community wellness, they are welcome in the beautiful new Verdant space.
According to George, it is important that Verdant’s programs resonate with the community and that its services reach beyond clinic walls.
A rewarding collaboration
Collaborating with regional partners like Verdant, which believes so strongly in our work creating access to health care for all, makes what we do so rewarding from every perspective.