Harborview Medical Center

01/24/2026

In recognition of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week, we celebrate the vital work and contributions of our CRNA team.

CRNAs are highly skilled anesthesia professionals who have been providing anesthesia care in the U.S. for more than 150 years. At Harborview, 50 CRNAs make up over 60% of our permanent anesthesia staff and work alongside our anesthesiologist colleagues. In addition to airway management and invasive monitoring skills required to care for critically ill patients, CRNAs bring a broad skill set that supports patients throughout the perioperative process, from preoperative assessment and anesthetic plan development to postoperative recovery.

01/23/2026

Vanessa Gray has been selected as a recipient of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award, recognizing her meaningful impact on our community.

This award honors members of our Harborview community who quietly embody Dr. King’s legacy by empowering others, addressing community needs, and helping build a stronger, more just community.

Vanessa Gray serves as the Executive Chef at Harborview Medical Center, overseeing the patient and retail food service menus. Over the past few years, Chef Vanessa has worked collaboratively with the UW Cultural Observances Implementation Subcommittee (COIS) to develop a cohesive menu during cultural observances.

Chef Vanessa uses her passion for food history and recipe creation to bring culturally diverse foods into a space where others can taste and learn about traditions different from their own. She features recipes from chefs who identify with the celebrated culture and shares their biographies in the cafeteria and online.

Chef Vanessa’s express goal is to give significance and exposure to the variety of cultures around us - because as we grow in familiarity, we grow in empathy.

01/22/2026

Please join us in congratulating Tarrell Harrison Jr., recipient of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.

This award honors members of our Harborview community who quietly embody Dr. King’s legacy by empowering others, addressing community needs, and helping build a stronger, more just community.

Tarrell is a Violence Prevention Specialist with Harborview’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Program team, supporting patients and families affected by gun violence with deep compassion and unwavering presence. He is especially dedicated to youth and spinal cord injury patients, often spending hours building trust and simply being there during the hardest moments.

Beyond the bedside, Tarrell is a powerful advocate, helping patients find their voice, strengthening the connection between patients and providers, and ensuring everyone has access to the wrap‑around services they need after leaving the hospital.

His commitment extends into the community, where he mentors and coaches youth, provides education on trauma and gun‑violence awareness, and volunteers at Stop the Bleed training.

01/21/2026

We are honored to recognize Kimmy Siebens as a recipient of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.

This award honors members of our Harborview community who quietly embody Dr. King’s legacy by empowering others, addressing community needs, and helping build a stronger, more just community.

Kimmy, a nurse on the Trauma Surgical ICU at Harborview, runs two nonprofits in Bremerton. One of the non-profits helps unhoused and low‑income individuals with veterinary care for their pets, and another supports the unhoused community with a variety of resources.

She has helped countless individuals and families return to housing, working through her network of contacts to support every aspect of that journey. She also assists people in accessing treatment and detox services for substance abuse. The people Kimmy selflessly helps are never just names on a list, they become her friends, and they know that if she can help, she will.

Kimmy regularly holds giveaways of pet food and supplies for pets in need and has helped countless animals receive the veterinary care they desperately require, all at no cost to their owners. Kimmy wants everyone in the Bremerton community to thrive and prosper, and with her help, many are doing just that.

01/20/2026

Congratulations to the Burns, Plastics, and Pediatric Trauma Unit’s Unit Practice Council (UPC), led by Aaliyah Ismail and Teresa Enloe, for receiving this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.

This award honors members of our Harborview community who quietly embody Dr. King’s legacy by empowering others, addressing community needs, and helping build a stronger, more just community.

Aaliyah and Teresa have shown exceptional commitment to health equity and patient empowerment through their innovative wound care education initiative. This project addresses a critical need identified by nursing staff on the burn unit, who recognized a gap in providing wound care education to refugee, immigrant, and asylum‑seeking patients with limited English proficiency.

In response, the UPC is collaborating with EthnoMeduw and Interpreter Services to develop multilingual burn wound care education videos and to translate discharge teaching handouts into the most used languages at Harborview Medical Center. These resources, designed for low‑literacy audiences and shared on accessible platforms like YouTube, help ensure patients receive clear, culturally appropriate guidance for post‑discharge care.

By removing language and literacy barriers, the UPC empowers patients to manage their recovery confidently and safely, directly addressing community needs and patient experience.

01/16/2026

A supportive housing facility sitting next to I-5 in downtown Seattle might not be the first place you’d look for a brightly decorated, serene oasis. Yet, on the second floor of the Downtown Emergency Service Center's 1811 Eastlake facility, that's what you’ll find: A balcony garden with sculptures, flowers, an avocado tree and a cat sunning himself.

UW Medicine patient Randy Critz has remade the space that used to be where residents discarded items. Now it offers a source of calm to the 72-year-old. Much like the garden, Critz’s life has been transformed with careful tending. It’s a 20-year journey that has demanded both personal determination and care at Harborview Medical Center.

Dr. Aynsley Duncan oversees medical care for the 75 formerly homeless adults living in the facility, all of whom have been diagnosed with chronic alcohol use disorders. She says that the best part of her job is "seeing people living their lives, which is a true privilege. The most rewarding part is really our patients, who are some of the most creative, resilient and hardworking people I've ever met.”

Read Randy's full story here: https://bit.ly/49p8hrh

A supportive housing facility sitting next to I-5 in downtown Seattle might not be the first place you’d look for a brightly decorated, serene oasis.  

01/15/2026

The Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program at Harborview Medical Center celebrated its 10th anniversary.

OBOT began in 2015 in the Adult Medicine Clinic to provide medications for opioid use disorder in primary care. At the time, the program was unique in Washington state, and patients traveled from as far as Longview and Yakima for services. Addy Adwell and Elsa Tamru were the first two staff members brought onto OBOT, helping lay the foundation for the program’s early success.

Access has since expanded statewide, and Harborview’s OBOT team has helped train other institutions to launch similar programs. In 2018, OBOT grew to include all Harborview primary care clinics and Harborview Mental Health and Addiction Services. An Addiction Consult Service was also created for hospitalized patients.

Since 2015, OBOT has served nearly 3,000 outpatients and almost 2,000 hospitalized patients. The program continues to support education and research to advance evidence-based care for patients with opioid use disorder.

01/13/2026

Peter Butler has been honored by Harborview’s STAT Nurse Team with the Patient Safety Partner Award for his outstanding commitment to safe, high-quality care.

This award celebrates individuals who go above and beyond to protect patients through exemplary practices. Peter’s consistent use of TeamSTEPPS communication tools strengthens collaboration and ensures safer outcomes for every patient.

📷: Mark Smith MD, Hospitalist; Peter Butler MD, Hospitalist; Chris Cottingham, Patient Safety Officer.

12/31/2025

Congratulations to Sandra Chan, recipient of the Safety Net Superstar award.

The award is presented to staff whose dedication to thorough event reviews, consistent follow-up, and clear closed-loop communication sets a high standard for excellence. Their commitment and outstanding practices reflect our shared goal of building a strong and dependable safety culture at Harborview.

📷: Chris Cottingham, Patient Safety Officer; Sandra Chan, RN, Nurse Manager; and Hibo Ibrahim, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Acute Care.

12/29/2025

“I want to recognize Dr. Shane Ruter, who was incredible. He did not seem rushed at all, was thorough, understanding, gentle with his words and physical examination, empathetic and very knowledgeable. He took the time to answer all my questions, took my concerns seriously and made me feel more at ease about my injury. I felt heard and listened to.” - Emergency Department patient

📸: Shane Ruter, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

12/24/2025

Harborview’s Annual Gingerbread House Display is Back!

More than 20 teams across Harborview showcased their creativity with gingerbread displays ranging from classic designs to creative masterpieces. The event, hosted by Harborview’s Resiliency Committee, featured movie theaters, castles, The Grinch, a tropical paradise and more.

Which one is your favorite? ✨

12/23/2025

Harborview’s Patient Safety team proudly celebrates staff who go above and beyond to ensure safe, high-quality care.

This month, Latrice Bell, Jennifer Marsh, Jennifer Na and Jane Wasell were recognized with the “Good Catch” Award for their outstanding commitment to patient safety. A “Good Catch” recognizes the timely intervention of a staff member to help improve the quality of care.

📷(Top): Latrice Bell, Patient Care Technician and the Harborview Transportation Team

📷(Right): Monica Brown RN, Assistant Nurse Manager; Jennifer Marsh, RN; Jennifer Na, RN; Chris Cottingham, Patient Safety Officer; and Jacob Kirsch, RN.

📷(Left): Jeff McMahon, Jodi McKenzie, Jane Wasell, Ashley Olds (in the bus), Beth Gardner, Nicole Lee and Polly Roush.