Where is the Need Greatest?

If you make charitable contributions, you are probably familiar with the phrase “where the need is greatest.” Organizations, including Overlake, often ask for gifts that can be applied to any part of the budget in need of funds. That open-ended terminology is used because priority needs are quickly moving targets. Some expenses are fixed, some have long been anticipated, and some arise seemingly overnight—hello, pandemic.

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Where is the need greatest right now? Overlake is in a time of growing, advancing and adding new innovations. Here are just some of the projects at the top of our current fundraising priority list.

Innovations in Care

• Overlake’s team of urogynecologists and female urologists is transforming life for women with pelvic health challenges. Using the latest diagnostic and therapeutic options, they are addressing many common and treatable conditions that can affect women of any age.
• Overlake’s Critical Care Unit (CCU) continues to develop our ability to deploy extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in cases of acute cardiac or pulmonary failure. This technology is a key life-support system that uses a machine to temporarily do the work of the heart and lungs.
• In 2023, we added a High-Risk Cancer Surveillance Clinic to the Overlake Cancer Center. This program provides a high level of screening and surveillance to individuals who are at heightened risk of cancer due to personal or family history, genetic predisposition, or many other factors.

Caregiver Advancement

• Recruiting and retaining our workforce has been an overriding concern as we move into the future. Current initiatives include programs that provide new nursing graduates and new-to-specialty transitioning nurses with the support and on-the-job training they need to be successful.

Technology for Patient Access

• Getting in to see your doctor can sometimes be challenging, and we are working hard to make it easier. Technology solutions include increased online scheduling options, remote monitoring devices to facilitate telehealth, and more virtual visits when appropriate.

Access for All

• Overlake serves as a safety net provider for the Eastside and beyond. Anyone might need medical care and assistance at any time and Overlake is here for them, 24/7/365. We offer a generous financial assistance policy that ensures that everyone in our community has access to care. In the last year, Overlake provided $16 million in uncompensated charity care.

Donations to Overlake’s Ensuring Excellence fund are applied “where the need is greatest.” This crucial support makes it possible to serve our community with skill, compassion and agility. To make a gift where the need is greatest, visit overlakehospital.org/giving

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