“He asked if the urgent care there was any good,” McReynolds recalled. “I told him I was a mile from Cascade Medical, a hospital the University of Washington sends its medical students to for training. To him, that was the gold seal of approval.”
McReynolds knew about the UW-Leavenworth connection because of his involvement with Cascade’s part-time resident advisory council – a group of about 15-20 people who meet twice a year. At its core, these gatherings are an exchange: Cascade Medical introduces its providers and the services they provide; the council shares its ideas and makes recommendations on a variety of topics, including marketing and outreach.
“It’s a chance to get involved in the Leavenworth community,” said McReynolds, one of the council’s founding members. “It’s not a huge time commitment, so even if you don’t have a lot of time to give, this is a good way to plug in.”
Join us for a Part-Time Resident Advisory Council Meeting at 10 a.m. April 22, in the Arleen Blackburn Room, 817 Commercial St., Leavenworth. RSVP with Executive Assistant Jill Barich at [email protected]
The hospital’s board of commissioners formed the advisory council three years ago as a way to interact with that part of the community. More than 40 percent of homeowners in the hospital district are part-time residents. They pay local taxes, but few vote here.
“On multiple levels, they give us a different perspective,” said Cascade Medical CEO Diane Blake. “They help us understand what’s important to people who don’t live here full-time. That’s critical, because it’s such a large part of the community here. The staff is inspired by their ideas and their willingness to volunteer their time.”
The council has proven to be a valuable resource. Their recommendation to mail postcards advertising new providers brought in dozens of new patients. The group also taught hospital staff about the ease of scheduling mammograms and other procedures here, compared to clinics west of the Cascades.
“We’re a group of people with varying professional backgrounds who can give advice to hospital leadership,” said council chairman John Chelminiak. “There are business owners, marketing professionals and people with medical backgrounds. It’s very diverse.”
Council chairman John Chelminiak, a Bellevue resident, became involved with Cascade Medical Center after a bear attack at his Lake Wenatchee cabin in 2010. He suffered extensive wounds on his head, neck and body. A team from Cascade Medical stabilized him during the ambulance ride to Central Washington Hospital, a level III trauma center. He spent 23 days recovering at Harborview in Seattle.
“I have to say it’s pretty special to be involved in this way with a group who had a profound effect on keeping me alive,” Chelminiak said.
Several original members’ terms expire soon, prompting the council to look for new candidates, specifically those with experience in business, education, information technology, finance, law or health care. Each term is one to three years. Members are expected to attend a two-hour meeting in spring and fall. Cascade Medical provides lunch after each meeting.
“For myself and a lot of the part-time residents on the council, it’s been very valuable,” said Matt Cade, a member since 2012. Cade lives in Sea-Tac and bought property on Alpenview Drive in 2009. He joined the council to learn more about the medical center, and to meet new people in the area.
“There are two main benefits to joining the advisory council,” Cade said. “First, it’s a chance to learn more about the medical center - a resource we all need at some point. The other reason is whenever you do volunteer work for the community, you have some skin in the game. You have some buy-in.”
For information on how to join the advisory council, contact Executive Assistant Jill Barich at [email protected] or call her at 548-3431.