LEGACY SALMON CREEK Medical Center celebrated 10 years in business at a public celebration on Thurs., Aug. 13, 2015.
BREANNA BULLION, OF La Center, celebrates her 10th birthday at another 10-year-birthday bash for the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver. Bullion was the medical center’s first patient when it opened in 2005. Since the hospital’s anniversary celebration fell on Breanna’s actual 10th birthday, Legacy administrators gifted her with this stuffed giraffe and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the beaming La Center girl.
When Breanna Bullion of La Center celebrated her 10th birthday this month, she was not alone. In fact, she was accompanied by about 350 well-wishers who had come out for another birthday of sorts – the 10th anniversary celebration at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, held Aug. 13 at the Vancouver area hospital.
Bullion was barely one week old when she became Legacy Salmon Creek’s very first patient on Aug. 22, 2005. Ten years later, the Salmon Creek center boasts Legacy’s busiest birthing center and is known for its dedication to families: Earning the coveted “Baby Friendly” status from the World Health Organization for its efforts to promote breastfeeding and establishing a Child Abuse Assessment Team at the local center to provide medical exams for the youngest victims of sexual and physical abuse.
When it opened in 2005, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center boasted a staff of 650 and delivered 1,700 during its first full year in business. Ten years later, the staffing levels have nearly doubled and the center is on track to deliver 3,500 babies in 2015.
Likewise, the local hospitals emergency rooms and surgical capabilities have surged over the past decade. In its first year of operation, Legacy Medical Salmon Creek treated about 34,000 people each year in its emergency rooms. That number is now up to about 70,000 a year, making the medical center one of Legacy’s busiest emergency departments.
During the first month of operation in 2005, the hospital had nine surgeries. Today, Legacy Salmon Creek doctors perform roughly 500 surgeries each month.
The public celebration, held Aug. 13, at the Salmon Creek medical center, 2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, featured the medical center’s many accomplishments and honored its first patient, Bullion, who actually turned 10 the same day as the anniversary party. Hospital administrators gifted the La Center birthday girl with a giant stuffed giraffe and sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
For more information about the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, visit www.legacyhealth.org/locations/hospitals/legacy-salmon-creek-medical-center.
