Horizon House Blog

Each month, our CEO Sara McVey shares updates from her life inside and outside of Horizon House.

Horsing Around at Horizon House

Just when I think work is about as fun as it can be, the Life Enrichment team in Supported Living arranged miniature horses to come visit the residents and staff. I grew up with horses as my mom was a passionate rider and lover of animals, so this was a wonderful treat. As you can see, me and Chicky are having a deep conversation about who’s shoes are most comfortable. These mini horses are therapy horses from Visiting Hooves. Visiting Hooves strives to bring joy and happiness to residents of facilities and homes by visiting with miniature therapy horses and bunnies. Their primary goal is to improve the lives of and lift the spirits of anyone affected by mental or physical challenges, or limited by age-related living conditions.

Award Winning Neighbors

The ideal location of Horizon House benefits from proximity to great resources. Virginia Mason has earned an “A” in patient safety for the 14th straight time from The Leapfrog Group, the national health care improvement advocacy organization that recently released its safety grades for more than 2,600 hospitals across the United States. Virginia Mason is the only hospital in Washington state, and one of only 42 in the United States, to have been awarded an “A” in every grading cycle since the Leapfrog program began in spring of 2012. “This continuing recognition of Virginia Mason by Leapfrog affirms that the commitment to excellence that distinguishes our organization is making a difference for our patients, and it highlights Virginia Mason’s standing as a national leader in quality and safety,” said Chairman and CEO Gary S. Kaplan, MD.

Master Plan Reminder

Phase One will focus on areas of greatest need which is Supported Living (SL) and Memory Support. Improvements are planned for the living room, activity and dining room spaces, as well as staff offices and break rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor, as well as B3. Input sessions with Staff, Residents, and Family members are underway and will continue into December. The goal is to have some drawings to share by January.

This phased approach enables us:

• To address ongoing concerns about the SL ‘experience’ sooner.
• To better manage disruption by isolating updates one area at a time.
• To obtain a construction start date during 2019.
• To spend more time considering possibilities for the other areas of Horizon House. Future phases are yet to be defined.

Ongoing capital improvements will occur throughout, including the Central Tower roof replacement and prudent improvements within Anderson Hall.