BCC, hospital hope to collaborate

Bellevue Community College announced plans Thursday to partner with Snoqualmie Valley Hospital to offer health-sciences-degree programs on the site of a proposed new hospital at the interchange of Interstate 90 and Highway 18.

The college intends to offer programs in nursing, radiation therapy, diagnostic imaging and other medical disciplines, said Bob Adams, BCC spokesman. Students would get on-site clinical experience, and instruction from the hospital's medical staff, he said.

"We've been looking for an opportunity to expand and provide educational services in the eastern area of the county," Adams said. "But we'd never really found quite the right property, place or fit.

"There is lots of potential opportunity for synergy," he said.

Details have yet to be sorted out, said officials from both institutions. In fact, several obstacles still must be cleared before the hospital can even start building.

The King County Council must approve putting the 71 acres, in rural King County, into the urban-growth boundary. After that, the city of Snoqualmie would have to annex and rezone the site to allow a new hospital to go up.

Relocating a hospital "is a very complex deal to put together," said Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson. "But the project meets a lot of regional and statewide needs for health care and education. It holds such promise for the future."

Snoqualmie Valley Hospital — King County Public Hospital District No. 4 — now sits tucked on a 48-acre hillside off Southeast North Bend Way in Snoqualmie.

There is no offramp to the hospital from westbound Interstate 90, and the winding road to the facility doesn't offer easy access for emergency-response vehicles, officials say.

They want to relocate to the 71-acre site to boost the hospital's visibility, and are asking voters in the district to approve a levy-lid increase Aug. 21 to help fund the project.

The vision is to develop a "first-rate teaching institution" on the new hospital campus, said hospital Administrator Rodger McCollum, and give the community more value for its taxpayer dollars.

"We can share cafeteria systems, IT systems. This really brings economies of scale to the school and to the hospital," McCollum said.

The timing seems ripe. The medical/higher education partnership allows BCC to reach students in the rapidly growing corridor east of Bellevue. And it bolsters the image of the 28-bed hospital, which, in its 24 years, has struggled to overcome financial setbacks and two closures.

Plans envision a 75,000-square-foot hospital with an expanded emergency department and medical-office complex with outpatient and clinical services.

Hospital officials will meet Aug. 20 with BCC to start developing a plan.

The boards for both institutions must formally approve the partnership agreement.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com