Swedish Ballard to close emergency, labor and delivery departments during this week’s strike

Meghan Walker Ballard

The Swedish in Ballard will be closing its emergency and labor and delivery departments this week while healthcare workers strike for better staffing and improved patient care.

Swedish has announced that the Labor and Delivery unit at the Ballard campus is now closed, and will remain closed until Friday, Jan. 31 at 9am. Existing OB patients who have appointments this week should reach out to reschedule — those who need immediate care should visit the OB units at Edmonds or First Hill.

The emergency department is also closing tonight at 7pm, expected to reopen Friday, Jan. 31 at 8am. Swedish says those with urgent medical needs should visit one of the five other campuses that will remain open during the strike: First Hill, Cherry Hill, Issaquah, Mill Creek or Edmonds.

The strike will start Tuesday morning at 7am — expect to see picketers outside the Ballard campus throughout the strike.

6 thoughts to “Swedish Ballard to close emergency, labor and delivery departments during this week’s strike”

  1. Just go ahead then and abort that thing. After all, it’s become very apparent over the years it’s not a child until it comes out of the womb. Are these people striking “for the children” then? Much like teaching, they knew going in that their jobs didn’t pay enough for them to keep up with times, yet they took them. All this’ll do is cause inflation and cause jobs to be lost. Unions; a great thing, a century ago.

    2. So to be clear, you are fine with for profit corporations denying workers pay increases and benefits due to your hatred of unions, which is solely because some angry guy on the radio, likely funded by large corporate interests, has convinced you to hate unions?

      How does one become so very easily influenced against their own self-interests?

  2. “workers strike for better staffing and improved patient care” Yup and the teachers are striking “for the students” At least be honest, YOU WANT MORE MONEY
    if patient care is so important to these folks, why are they still working there. why have i not heard patient care was bad a Swedish?

Leave a Reply