Advancing

Our Mission:
Transforming
Child Health
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

Confidential and Proprietary ©2021 Seattle Children’s

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

ADVANCING OUR MISSION | TRANSFORMING CHILD HEALTH

Seattle Children’s is on a journey to discover Key to our plan is how we unite our entire more about how our Strategic Plan fuels our
new and better ways to fulfill our mission to organization and forge new connections ability to deliver hope for the most complex
provide hope, care and cures to help every to serve the kids and families who need conditions, connect care closer to home,
child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life us. Across it all, we’re expanding and discover the next era of cures, address the
possible. The kids and families we serve are at accelerating our work to deliver safe, high- greatest challenges in children’s health,
the heart of everything we do. quality and equitable care for every child in define success by our outcomes, and live
our region—and beyond. I invite you to learn our values.

“
Our Strategic Plan advances our
mission and transforms child
health. It builds on our strengths
Key to our plan is how Limitless compassion and relentless
curiosity compel us to become what
by leveraging the collective talent we unite our entire our mission inspires us to be through
of our team, by bringing to bear
the inspiring support and advocacy
organization and forge thoughtful, deliberate transformation. With
our strategic roadmap for the future, we
of our community, and by seizing new connections to serve channel collaboration and innovation to not
opportunities to learn and evolve
as the pediatric health care
the kids and families who only imagine—but also create—what hope,
care and cures look like for kids and families
landscape changes. need us. today as well as for tomorrow’s generation.

Sincerely,

Jeff Sperring, MD
CEO
Seattle Children’s 2
WHO WE ARE

Mission, Vision, Values: The Foundation of Our Strategy

Our mission, vision and values anchor our Strategic Plan. They express our core purpose and the promises we make every day to our patients and families, our team and our community:

OUR MISSION OUR VALUES

We provide hope, care and cures to help COMPASSION INTEGRITY EQUITY
every child live the healthiest and most Empathy for patients, their families and staff is At all times, we approach our work with openness, We embrace and find strength in the diversity of
fulfilling life possible. ingrained in our history and inspires our future. We transparency, decency and humility. It is our our patients, their families, staff and community.
do more than treat the child; we practice family- responsibility to use resources wisely to sustain We believe all children deserve exceptional care,
centered care as the cornerstone of compassion. Seattle Children’s for generations to come. the best outcomes, respect and a safe environment.
OUR VISION
Seattle Children’s will be an innovative leader EXCELLENCE COLLABORATION INNOVATION
in pediatric health and wellness through our Our promise to treat, prevent and cure pediatric We work in partnership with patients, their families, We aspire to be an innovative leader in pediatric
unsurpassed quality, clinical care, relentless disease is an enormous responsibility. We follow staff, providers, volunteers and donors. This spirit of healthcare, research and philanthropy. We
spirit of inquiry, and compassion for children the highest standards of quality and safety and respectful cooperation extends beyond our walls to continually seek new and better solutions. Because
and their families. expect accountability from each other. our business partners and the community. innovation springs from knowledge, we foster
learning in all disciplines.
Our founding promise to the community is
as valid today as it was over a century ago.
We will care for all children in our region,
regardless of their family’s ability to pay.

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Turning a Plan
Into Action
Seattle Children’s Strategic Plan is a roadmap for our future. It charts a course so

we can achieve our aspirations on behalf of kids and families everywhere. We’re

transforming child health through four Mission Objectives and two Strategic

Imperatives, each with a focus area that taps into our strengths today, while also

laying the groundwork for tomorrow—and beyond.

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STRATEGIC PLAN

R E CO
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O N
A TI O
F
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E Delivering Connecting
HOPE for CARE

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the most complex closer to home
conditions
EGRITY
INT

Bringing It EX

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All Together

T H E R A PE UT I CS
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MISSION

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Discovering

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Living our We provide hope, care and
the next
cures to help every child
VALUES era of

EQU

ION
live the healthiest and most
Here is an overview of how the four Mission Objectives and two Strategic fulfilling life possible. CURES

-R AC

AT
IT
Imperatives come together. This chart serves as both a guide and an inspiration

V
O
NTI
in fulfilling our ultimate mission. Each initiative represents a vital need for our O

N
LL IN
AB

A
patients and our organization, as we strive for daily improvement and apply an ORATION
equity lens across all that we do. In the following sections, we will more fully
describe the path forward. Defining Addressing the
success by our greatest challenges

H
in children's

LT
OUTCOMES

EA
Q
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A
HEALTH H
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M E N TA

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OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES

Delivering Hope
for the Most
Complex Conditions
DESTINATION CENTER

Seattle Children’s is recognized as one of the • Establishing system-wide capabilities to

world’s leading pediatric medical and research advance the delivery of complex care and
centers. We aim to enhance our reputation as a accelerate clinical research and innovation
world-class destination center by:
In short, we strive to be a beacon of hope—and a
• Growing our destination programs by prime destination—for those in need of specialty
delivering exceptional care, novel therapies, pediatric care for kids in our region and around
and lifesaving treatments the world.

• Providing the best experiences and best-

possible outcomes

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OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES

Discovering the
Next Era of Cures
THERAPEUTICS

Children deserve to lead healthy lives and to • Providing a top-rated hospital venue for pediatric
achieve their full potential. All too frequently clinical trials
the diseases they’re diagnosed with don’t have
medicines to heal and cure them. Seattle Children’s • Accelerating research innovations in cancer
aims to change this by: and other debilitating childhood diseases
by organizing our therapeutic assets into a
•B
 eing a first-in-class organization that leads the biotech-like format
development of novel biomedicines for children
Through Seattle Children’s Therapeutics, we are
•V
 ertically integrating a state-of-the-art developing and innovating upon next-generation
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) by cell and gene therapies for pediatric diseases
leveraging the in-house expertise that has so that children have the medicines they need
produced 14 FDA-authorized investigational new and deserve.
drug applications

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OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES

Connecting Care
Closer to Home
ECOSYSTEM OF CARE

Access and convenience are paramount to what • Expanding affiliate relationships to strengthen
care a kid receives and where they receive it. We and enhance our service offerings
must bring the expertise and compassionate care
of Seattle Children’s closer to our patients and their • Integrating research opportunities directly into
families. We’re doing this by: our regional ambulatory clinics

• Innovating and growing our service offerings to The goal is to be able to connect with every family
ensure that patients are seen in the right place in our service areas by breaking down barriers to
and at the right time, including primary care access—and to become the undisputed provider
of choice for pediatric care in our region.
• Providing care closer to home by rapidly
expanding ambulatory telehealth and virtual care
across our health system

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OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES

Addressing the
Greatest Challenges
in Children’s Health
MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

We are responding to the urgent youth mental • Ensuring seamless transitions across the
health crisis in our communities. This effort relies continuum of care
on a well-constructed continuum of care that
includes early intervention, integrated services, • Expanding our focus to include upstream
improved access and better outcomes. We’re interventions that will improve long-term
doing this by: outcomes

• Bringing whole healthcare closer to home • Promoting access, diversity and equity across
by developing services and capabilities in the continuum of care
the geographies of greatest need
One in five young people has a mental health
• Expanding outpatient services to improve disorder. Too many go without treatment and
children’s health and therefore reducing experience stigma. We are deepening our
emergency department and inpatient demand commitment to improve access and outcomes
for all youth and their families, because pediatric
health should always include mental health.
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OUR STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

Defining Success
by Our Outcomes
QUALITY AND SAFETY

Seattle Children’s is committed to delivering • Delivering on our commitment to cause zero

unsurpassed quality to every patient, every time. harm to our patients, which includes physical,
Our work focuses on: psychological and emotional harm; there is only
one acceptable level of safety at Seattle Children’s
• Creating a better patient and family experience
by providing a leading example among children’s • Sharing knowledge, expertise and learning from
hospitals in the nation others—inside and outside Seattle Children’s—to
continual quality improvement
• Developing and supporting an engaged workforce
that is focused on quality and patient safety Improving child health requires a laser focus
on quality, patient safety and equity so that every
• Establishing clinical excellence where patient patient can experience the best-possible outcomes.
outcomes are viewed as the ultimate proof
of success

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OUR STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

Living Our Values

HEALTH EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM ACTION PLAN
• Having a clear strategy and detailed policies
Seattle Children’s is committed to anti-racism and
to address concerns about bias, racism and
accelerating our pursuit of health equity while
discrimination regarding faculty or medical staff
building a diverse and inclusive workforce that
reflects our patients, families and community. We • Dismantling systems that result in over-policing
endeavor to do this by: at Seattle Children’s

• Holding divisions and departments accountable

• Enforcing no tolerance of racist and
to review and adjust policies that inadvertently
discriminatory treatment of our patients
discriminate against patients by language, race,
and families
religion or income
• Developing and upholding clear anti-racist
Our unwavering pledge is to champion fairness,
policies that reinforce no tolerance for workplace
justice and equity at every level of our organization
violence, racism or hate speech between
so that we deliver the fair, just and compassionate
team members
care our patients and families deserve.

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 Making Our
Patient Families Promises a Reality
A strategic plan is much more than a simple document. Every day at

Seattle Children’s we translate our Mission Objectives and Strategic

Imperatives into living, breathing success stories for our patient

families. Here are four inspiring examples.

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THERAPEUTICS:
DISCOVERING THE NEXT ERA OF CURES

Meet Isaac
If not for Seattle Children’s world-renown
pediatric cancer program, Isaac’s story
may have gone differently. At 17 months
“ Seattle Children’s
was the best
old, Isaac was diagnosed with Stage IV place on Earth
high-risk neuroblastoma. He benefitted
from a continuum of care that included a
for our kid, even
breakthrough immunotherapy protocol. in the darkest
Today, Isaac is a healthy-happy-kickboxing-
laughing five-year-old, thanks to advanced
times.
research and treatment from his skilled and
KELLI WILLIAMS, ISAAC’S MOM
compassionate care team.

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DESTINATION CENTER:
DELIVERING HOPE FOR THE MOST COMPLEX CONDITIONS

Meet Malachi
During his mother’s pregnancy, Malachi
was diagnosed with spina bifida,
hydrocephalus, heart defects and growth
“ It is everything else
built up around the
disorders. There was only one choice for
this Yakima family: Seattle Children’s,
medical care that
one of the only pediatric hospitals in the really makes us feel
country with the expertise to care for his
complex medical conditions. Today, Malachi
safe and at home
is described as “unstoppable” and he’s when we’re there.
thriving in two loving environments—his
WHITNEY STOHR, MALACHI’S MOM
home and Seattle Children’s.

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ECOSYSTEM OF CARE:
CONNECTING CARE CLOSER TO HOME

Meet Shanae
Shanae was an active nine-year-old when she
was diagnosed with a serious heart condition.
Doctors at Seattle Children’s suggested the
“ We get the best
care in the country,
rare Ozaki heart procedure. Shanae traveled
to Seattle to become the first Seattle Heart
right near our
Center patient to undergo this delicate small town.
operation. Now a teen athlete, she still
MARISELA BARRAGAN MARTINEZ, SHANAE’S MOM
requires regular checkups. But instead of a
long drive to Seattle, she receives expert
care close to home at the Seattle Children’s
Tri-Cities Clinic.

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MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH:
A D D R E S S I N G T H E G R E AT E S T C H A L L E N G E S I N
C H I L D R E N A N D YO U N G A D U LT S ’ H E A LT H

Meet Javi
Javi was in middle school when she began to
have feelings of fear and panic. Her condition
spiraled into crippling anxiety and erratic
“ For kids in crisis,
I want to be an
behavior that she was helpless to control.
She entered Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and
example that it
Behavioral Medicine Unit. It was a struggle, gets better.
but with empathetic therapy from a highly
JAVI BARRIA
trained team of specialists, she was able to
move forward. Javi is now a confident young
woman who bravely advocates for youth
mental health.

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COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Philanthropy at
Seattle Children’s
Gifts from our generous community allow Children’s Therapeutics, which will have an
our providers and scientists to think bigger, unprecedented impact in treating cancer
be bolder and transform childhood health and other debilitating pediatric diseases.
for generations to come. In our changing Your support will move the next generation
and challenging world, your commitment of cures forward by advancing new cell and
remains vital to Seattle Children’s growth gene therapies and allowing treatments to
and the success of this Strategic Plan. reach more patients, faster.

Under this plan, philanthropy will continue Similarly, we will deepen our partnership
to enable Seattle Children’s to care for with our community as we respond to
children with the most complex conditions, urgent youth mental and behavioral health
both in our region and around the world. needs. Together, we will transform pediatric
Sustained community investment in key mental health so that every child in our
clinical and research programs will further region can receive the most effective
our ability to accelerate innovative ideas, mental health services when and where
provide new treatments and ensure the they need them—before they land in crisis.
best-possible outcomes. Philanthropy
will also continue to expand telehealth Your generosity has brought us to this point
and virtual care across all areas of Seattle and continues to propel us forward. We
Children’s so that we can meet families are grateful for the incredible momentum
where they are. generated by your philanthropic
partnership and look forward to what
Community support and the success we can accomplish together through this
of our cancer immunotherapy research Strategic Plan.
enabled Seattle Children’s to form Seattle 17
ROADMAP FOR SUCCESS

Shared Goals,
Shared Commitment
Seattle Children’s has always been • Continued excellence in treating complex
forward-looking and in search of constant conditions will make us a destination
improvement. The quest continues as we center for patient families the world over
address a specific set of Mission Objectives
and Strategic Imperatives that will provide • Through therapeutics and our role as a
hope, care and cures to patient families. research institution, we will be on the
forefront in developing the next era of
• Our dedication to patient safety cures for childhood diseases
will set new standards of quality at
Seattle Children’s • Seattle Children’s regional ecosystem of
care provides convenient access to world-
• By combating racism—and championing class medical care throughout the region
equity, diversity and inclusion—we will be
a trusted and welcoming resource for These are the challenges and opportunities
all communities before us as we pursue our mission of
helping every child live the healthiest and
• A heightened focus on mental and most fulfilling life possible.
behavioral health is urgently addressing
this growing need in pediatric medicine What could be more important?

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Hope. Care. Cure.™