October 19, 2013
The Arlington Times • The Marysville Globe
CVH wins national award, achieves new certification
ARLINGTON — Cascade Valley Hospital was chosen from more than 1,900 hospitals nationwide to receive the T-System Client Excellence Award. This award recognizes the emergency departments which improve their quality of patient care and operational processes. Cascade implemented a
two-way interface and computerized provider order entry to send and receive crucial health information throughout the facility, resulting in faster, more precise, safer patient care in the Emergency Department, which treats about 20,000 patients annually. T-System is an emergency department informa-
tion system vendor used in about 40 percent of the nation’s emergency departments Cascade also received ISO 9001 certification from DNV. This certification is a mark of quality and improved operations, which required a 36-month evaluation process, including developing a formal quality
management system which focuses on care management, operational procedures, administrative processes and medical product quality assurance. DNV is a world-leading certification body. They work with organizations to assure performance of products, people and facilities through certification,
verification, assessment and training. “We are very proud of these two awards, which prove our commitment to quality care, and not just in the Emergency Department, but throughout our organization,” said Clark Jones, CEO of Cascade Valley Hospital. Cascade Valley Hospital
898620
16
and Clinics is comprised of a 48-bed acute care hospital, an ambulatory surgery center and five primary and specialty care clinics. Cascade has been serving the health care needs of northern Snohomish County since 1909.
REVENUE FROM PAGE 1 from annexations, increases in state-assessed utility values, and allowed refunds — the general levy for 2014 can be set at approximately $2,502,314.” Chase then cited a letter from the Assessor’s Office, stating that Arlington’s banked capacity for the EMS levy is $47,318. Arlington would not be able to use all of that banked capacity in 2014, but the City Council could vote by a super-majority to take an estimated $28,840 of that banked capacity, which would restore the levy’s maximum rate of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Through another resolution, the Council could then elect to either bank or reserve the right to use the remaining $18,478 in the future. “We are allowed by law to be able to collect up to the highest lawful levy amount which has created some banked capacity,” said Chase said, who explained that this banked capacity resulted from the decrease in tax the city was allowed to collect in 2013, versus its highest levy amount in 2012. “This automatically created banked capacity.” Looking to other revenue sources, Chase identified a gradual but steady trend of increasing sales tax revenues since 2010, following a dramatic crash after their peak in 2007. Aside from slight dips in 2007 and 2011, the city’s utility tax revenues have experienced continual growth since 2005. Chase forecast a plateau in building permits between 2013 and 2014, following a cratering in those revenues in 2009 and 2010, and a dip downward from a resurgence in 2012. The Arlington City Council is required, following a public hearing on the subject, to set an annual property tax levy by Nov. 30 of each year. The public hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 21, as required by law. City staff have requested that the City Council adopt a resolution setting the levy for 2014 at the Oct. 21 Council meeting.