Swedish Medical Center Will Close 2 ERs Amid 3-Day Strike

SEATTLE, WA — Swedish Medical Center will close emergency departments in Seattle and Redmond ahead of a planned strike involving thousands of nurses, caregivers and other staff this week, the hospital announced Monday. The planned closures include two ERs in Ballard and Redmond, and the Labor and Delivery unit at Swedish Ballard.

The emergency department closures are set to begin Monday at 7 p.m., with a projected reopening date of Friday, Jan. 31 at 8 a.m. The labor and delivery unit closed over the weekend and is slated to reopen at 9 a.m. Friday.

The Seattle Times reports the Redmond and Ballard emergency rooms have 18 beds each. The Ballard location treats an estimated 65 patients per day.

In a news release, Swedish said the hospital would use temporary staffing agencies to work during the strike, but it was not possible to staff all departments.

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, the health workers' union, argues Swedish has failed to address workloads and lagging wages in recent years, despite booming profits.

"For over nine months, caregivers have been making urgent proposals for safe staffing levels and improvements that would recruit and retain more workers," the union said in a statement. "While caregivers have been struggling, the company had $24 billion in revenue and $11 billion in cash reserves in 2018, and raked in $970 million in profits in just the first three quarters of 2019."

The union said approximately 1,000 workers leave Swedish annually, and hundreds of vacant job openings remain unfilled.

The Associated Press reports the hospital's most recent officer included an 11.25 percent wage increase over four years.

Patients with urgent needs are encouraged to visit other emergency rooms in the area. Swedish said facilities in Seattle's First Hill and Cherry Hill will remain open during the strike, along with those in Issaquah, Mill Creek and Edmonds.

According to the union, the strike will begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Picket lines will be in place at campuses in Seattle, Issaquah, Edmonds, Redmond and Mill Creek. A march is planned in downtown Seattle Wednesday. Nurses and caregivers plan to return to work at all locations Friday morning.