Swedish Medical Opening ER in Issaquah

ISSAQUAH, WA-Swedish Medical is negotiating a long-term lease for a 55,000-sf building along the I-90 Corridor here that it wants to convert into a freestanding emergency room with second-story office space. Additionally, the Seattle-based nonprofit healthcare provider says it wants to site a full-fledged community hospital in the area sometime in the next several years.

Swedish VP Kevin Brown tells GlobeSt.com that lease negotiations for the ER complex should be complete in the next couple of weeks. The current plan is for Swedish to take control of the property in September and open the facility in February 2005. Brown declined to get specific about the building until negotiations are complete, but the likely property is I-90 Lake Place I, Building B, a 55,225-sf building at 2005 NW Sammamish Rd. that is largely unoccupied.

Swedish representatives met Thursday afternoon with City of Issaquah officials to discuss the details of the emergency room complex. Swedish expects to spend between $16 million and $20 million to build-out the space. Swedish also filed a letter of intent with Washington State Department of Health officials, notifying them of the medical center’s long-term plans to file a formal Certificate-of-Need application to build a new nonprofit community hospital in Issaquah.