On Tuesday, Nov. 10, UW Medicine and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center signed documents that would expand an existing program agreement to make Northwest Hospital one of the entities of the UW Medicine health system.

The University of Washington Board of Regents endorsed the expanded affiliation agreement at its Sept. 17 meeting. This transaction will make Northwest Hospital the newest clinical unit of UW Medicine effective Jan. 1, 2010. Northwest Hospital will join the current six UW Medicine clinical units that include Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, University of Washington Physicians, Airlift Northwest and the UW School of Medicine. UW Medicine is also a corporate member of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Children's University Medical Group and has close affiliations with Seattle Children's, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

"By executing these final documents, we are well on our way to completing the Northwest hospital transaction," said Paul Ramsey, MD, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine. "One of our first steps will be to begin integrating Northwest Hospital into UW Medicine's strategic planning initiative early in 2010. We are very excited about the many possibilities that this new relationship will offer, and look forward to working with the excellent leadership team at Northwest Hospital."

"Today's signing brings us one step closer to closing our affiliation with UW Medicine, and closer to the opportunity to work together and explore what we can accomplish as a team," said Bill Schneider, CEO of Northwest Hospital. "We are excited to begin the strategic planning process after the first of the year, and to combine our organizations' talents and strengths into the partnership we've all envisioned."

UW Medicine has had a relationship with Northwest Hospital since 1997, when the two entities signed a Cooperative Program Agreement to establish a long-term and durable relationship to collaborate on selected patient care, clinical research and educational activities. In 1998, a Northwest Hospital-based UW Medicine cardiac surgery program was developed. It is now ranked as the leading cardiac surgery program in the Puget Sound region. UW and Northwest Hospital anticipate the first opportunities for clinical collaboration under the new affiliation will center around cardiovascular services, oncology services and maternal and child health.

"It is clear that our successful existing relationship, as well as the potential for new programs in clinical care, teaching and research helped lead us to this new transaction," said Ramsey. "We look forward to working closely with Northwest Hospital to improve the health of the public."

About Northwest Hospital & Medical Center

Founded in 1960, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center is a full-service, non-profit hospital located minutes north of downtown Seattle. With 281 licensed beds, more than 1,600 employees and all private rooms, it offers some of the most innovative, technologically advanced medical care available. Major clinical programs and services include: emergency services; critical care; cardiac care; neurosciences; stroke center; cancer care; childbirth services; bariatric surgery; sports medicine; medical rehabilitation; geropsychiatric center; Gamma Knife® Center; diagnostic imaging; laboratory services; and education and wellness programs, among others. For more information about Northwest Hospital and its programs and services, call (206) 364-0500 or (206) 633-4636 for the Physician Referral Line, or visit the Northwest web site.

About UW Medicine

UW Medicine trains new physicians and medical scientists, researches health and disease, and provides primary and specialty care to patients from Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. The UW Medicine health system includes UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, the UW School of Medicine, UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, UW Physicians, Airlift Northwest, and the UW's corporate memberships in the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance with Seattle Children's and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Children's University Medical Group with Seattle Children's Hosptial. UW Medicine has major academic and service affiliations with Seattle Children's Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Veteran's Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle and the VA Hospital in Boise. The UW School of Medicine is the top public institution in federal funding for biomedical research. Among its 2,002 full-time faculty and 4,874 volunteer and part-time faculty are five Nobel Laureates, 32 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 33 members of the Institute of Medicine. For more information about UW Medicine, visit its brand new web site.