Personalizing, Humanizing and Demystifying Healthcare

Planetree

At Highline Medical Center, our team of dedicated doctors, nurses and staff is devoted to combining the latest in medical technology with compassionate, respectful and personalized healthcare delivery. As a pioneering subscriber to the Planetree philosophy, we have taken this devotion a step further, becoming one of only a handful of hospitals in the U.S. dedicated to fundamentally changing the patient's hospital experience from impersonal and intimidating to nurturing and personalized.

The new building additions to our existing hospital have incorporated elements of the Planetree philosophy, creating homelike and welcoming spaces throughout. The patient care areas in the new Cedar Wing look more like a hotel than a hospital. Kitchens and family spaces are provided for families to prepare a favorite meal for their hospitalized loved one or to meet around a dining room table to discuss the medical situation faced by the patient. The  hospital's Healing Gardens offer peaceful sanctuaries for patients, families and visitors.

There's more. Like a formalized program that enables loved ones to actively participate in the care of loved ones. Or the Planetree Health Library and Information programs, designed to educate patients and caregivers about illness, treatments and more. Or the holistic approach to wellness offered in the Healing Arts program.

Our innovative and patient-centered Planetree programs further our commitment to our patients, their families and the communities we serve.

Philosophy

Planetree is a national, nonprofit organization that assists hospitals in expanding activities that support patient-focused care. According to legend, the planetree, or sycamore, is the tree that Hippocrates sat beneath when he taught medical students in Greece centuries ago.

Today, Planetree exists to personalize, humanize and demystify healthcare. It works with the belief that people want to learn more about medicine, health and illness and their own health in order to become more active participants in their care.

You can learn more about this remarkable movement at Planetree.org.