In fact, if applause was an indication, the crowd seemed to favor an affiliation with non-sectarian Virginia Mason of Seattle. In addition to a top representative of Virginia Mason, leaders of Swedish Hospital, UW Medicine, PeaceHealth and Providence Healthcare spoke to the audience.
Marcel Loh, the interim Chief Executive at Swedish said an affiliation with the Providence/Swedish group would be handled by Swedish on a secular basis, rather than directly with partner Providence, which has ties to the Catholic Church.
UW Medicine and Peace Health, another Catholic-connected system, are being treated as affiliates and are being considered as a single interested party.
Buzz Ely, the President of Island Hospital's Board, said he'd rather keep things the way they are now, but, "We want to leave as our legacy that you have quality health care for a long time to come." He added, "If we do nothing, somewhere along the way, we are going to go along the way side."
Consultant Dan Merlino of ECG Management Consultants explained that the three area hospitals seeking affiliation with a larger partner, Island Hospital, Skagit Valley Hospital and Cascade Valley Hospital, said financial pressures on hospitals are building and that many hospitals across the country are looking for merger opportunities.
Merlino, whose organization is assisting the three local hospitals, said a selection may come as soon as the end of this month.