The following is a release from EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland:
EvergreenHealth is proud to announce that J. Patrick Heffron, M.D., Charles H. Heffron, Jr., M.D. and Terrence A. Pheifer, M.D. received the organization’s esteemed 2015 Community Service Award, which is bestowed annually by EvergreenHealth’s elected Board of Commissioners.
Serving as active members of the EvergreenHealth Medical Staff for more than 35 years, Heffron, Heffron, Jr. and Pheifer are recognized advocates for a better and superior way to deliver care to parents and their newborns. Through diligent and persistent efforts, they established EvergreenHealth’s highly-recognized Patient Family Centered Care Model for OB patients and families – the first of its kind in Washington state and one of the first in the nation.
Patient Family Centered Care, as pioneered by Heffron, Heffron, Jr. and Pheifer at EvergreenHealth in the 1990s, is an education-based model of care that realized better outcomes at a lower cost by providing a personalized experience that revolves around the patient and family. EvergreenHealth was honored as the first World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Baby-Friendly Hospital in the United States due to the doctors’ longstanding efforts to engage other providers, nursing staff and leadership in the adoption of patient and family-friendly practices, such as care suites specially designed to enhance bonding immediately after delivery, a comprehensive offering of pre- and postpartum mother and family education classes and breastfeeding support.
“Each of these individuals created a legacy for advancing a progressive concept of OB care at EvergreenHealth that extended beyond the Family Maternity Center and acted as a stepping stone to achieving the exceptional, high-quality care EvergreenHealth is nationally recognized and known for in our community,” said Al DeYoung, chair of the Board of Commissioners at EvergreenHealth. “The continued excellence provided by EvergreenHealth’s Family Maternity Center and the nearly 5,000 babies EvergreenHealth welcomes each year serve as testaments to their service and an example for those that follow in their footsteps.”
In addition to his clinical care, Pheifer served as the President of the EvergreenHealth Medical Staff from January 2010 to December 2011.
EvergreenHealth’s Community Service Award, established in 1998, recognizes individuals or organizations that exemplify leadership and have a profound impact on enhancing the health and well-being of the community. Recipients consistently demonstrate service and commitment to helping EvergreenHealth achieve its mission to advance community health through dedication to high-quality, safe, compassionate and cost-effective health care.
Previous Community Service Award honorees include volunteers, community members, employees and physicians.
To learn more about EvergreenHealth, visit www.evergreenhealth.com or call 425-899-3000.
