The largest annual fundraiser for Bellevue-based Overlake Medical Center & Clinics will occur in person for the first time in four years, the health care organization announced last week.
The Bandage Ball, held virtually the last three years due to COVID restrictions, is scheduled for May 6 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue. Tickets for the event cost $350 and include a reception, dinner, program, live auction, and after-party with a live DJ. Among items to be auctioned are Major League Baseball All-Star Game tickets; seven nights in Kauai; a Seattle Kraken VIP experience; two club-level seats to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour; and more. Tickets can be purchased, or donations can be made, online.
The ball has raised more than $6 million over the past six years, according to Overlake. Money raised this year will benefit programs and services, including professional development and educational opportunities for front-line staff; community preventive health programs; financial assistance to low-income patients; strengthening online functions and services for easier access; and others.
“While the Bandage Ball has always been important for Overlake, it is even more crucial now,” Overlake President and CEO J. Michael Marsh said in a news release. “Our heroic care teams have faced unprecedented challenges in the past several years and the financial pressures on healthcare organizations are greater than ever. Community support of the Bandage Ball will have a direct impact on Overlake’s ability to continue providing the exceptional care the Eastside counts on and deserves.”
The Washington State Hospital Association reported last month that the state’s hospitals lost $2.7 billion in 2022. While revenues rose 5%, wages and benefits rose 6%, traveling nurse costs rose 120%, and supplies and other expenses rose 6%, resulting in total operation expenses rising 9% over the prior year.