The Seattle Children’s Hospital is ranked in the top 10 for Pediatric Cancer, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Pediatric Urology by US News and World Report and in the top 22 for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Pediatric Neonatology, Pediatric Orthopedics, and Pediatric Pulmonology. It is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The hospital serves children and adolescents in the Northwest US, including Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
The acclaimed hospital has been providing state-of-the-art care, teaching, clinical, and research in conjunction with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and works with the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Seattle Children’s Foundation in its facility.
$1 million of the gift from William Jr. and June Boeing will help fund the planned expansion of the hospital. The expansion that is currently under construction is the Building Hope center. The Building Hope center will include an outdoor park which will be named William Boeing Park and Garden Walk in honor of the family’s generosity. The center’s main focus will be on critical care, emergency care, and cancer care, including a new emergency unit and 80 private rooms for patients with cancer or requiring critical care services. The rest of the funds will be used to build a rooftop terrace for families and patients to enjoy some peace while receiving treatment at the hospital. The terrace will contain plants that bloom year round and will be easy to access from the new cancer unit. Building Hope is scheduled to open in April, with the terrace opening later in the year.
William Boeing Sr. began the tradition of supporting Seattle Children’s Hospital in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, the hospital, like most businesses, was in danger of closing. It was supplying over 90% of its care for free, so the enormous debt was threatening the hospital’s ability to continue to provide care. Every year of the Depression, a group of trustees visited Mr. Boeing and he wrote them a check to cover the debt, with the proviso that it be done anonymously. His generosity was not revealed until recently. Boeing’s family is continuing his amazing generous giving and this new funding will help a new group of children and their families to receive state-of-the-art care from this award winning hospital.
Construction for Building Hope will not interfere with the unique dedication and care provided by Seattle Children’s. The hospital has been providing care for more than 100 years and will continue to do so. This same care is provided to the insured and uninsured, regardless of ability to pay. This is, of course, one of the most special qualities of the institution. While they are a top hospital, they haven’t lost sight of the needs of the patients. And thanks to the generous gift of William Jr. and June Boeing, the Seattle Children’s Hospital will continue to do so for years to come.
