EvergreenHealth receives transformative $100M gift from Dean Weidner

The gift enables EvergreenHealth to accelerate long-term planning for expanded access and increased capacity to deliver high-quality care to the community

KIRKLAND, Wash., Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EvergreenHealth has received a philanthropic gift of $100 million from Dean Weidner—the largest gift in the community-owned hospital’s history. This transformative donation helps accelerate EvergreenHealth’s plans to advance high-quality health care in the community with expanded access and increased capacity for generations to come.

The gift honors the legacy of Dean Weidner and his wife, Ana, both dedicated philanthropists and advocates for EvergreenHealth’s mission to advance the health of the community through safe, compassionate, cost-effective health care.

The Weidners’ gift sets in motion planning for a future patient-care tower on EvergreenHealth’s Kirkland campus that will help expand access, increase capacity and support care close to home. Its construction is one part of EvergreenHealth’s promise to grow capacity and plan responsibly for future community needs.

The donation comes alongside community support for EvergreenHealth as voters approved increased levy funding for the public hospital district in 2025. These combined investments create a stronger path forward grounded in philanthropy, voter-approved support and future planning.

“This is an extraordinary act of generosity and a defining milestone for our hospital system and the community we serve,” said Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP, CEO of EvergreenHealth. “The timing of this gift is meaningful. After the community affirmed its support of EvergreenHealth through the Levy Lid Lift, Dean saw an opportunity to come alongside that trust with this investment in the future of community-owned health care.”

Dean and Ana Weidner were dedicated to the health and welfare of their community. Dean was a successful business leader in the multifamily housing industry. Ana devoted much of her life to philanthropy, with a particular passion for wildlife conservation and animal welfare. They have been actively involved in improving care and supporting key projects at EvergreenHealth since 2019. Ana Weidner passed away in 2024, and Dean Weidner passed away in early 2026.

“We are deeply grateful to the Weidners for their generosity and partnership over the years,” said Lori Kloes, EvergreenHealth Chief Philanthropy Officer. “We are honored and humbled by the opportunity to memorialize Dean and Ana through a legacy that will serve patients and families for generations to come.”

Learn more about Dean and Ana Weidner’s story and history with EvergreenHealth at www.evergreenhealth.com.

About EvergreenHealth
EvergreenHealth is a community-owned health care hospital system serving more than one million residents in King and Snohomish counties. Since 1972, EvergreenHealth has evolved alongside the Eastside community into a two-hospital health system with a network of primary care practices, urgent care centers, specialty clinics, extensive home care and hospice services, and 24/7 emergency care in Kirkland, Monroe and Redmond. As a public hospital district, the health system’s purpose is to enrich the health and wellness of everyone in the community by providing equal access to high-quality, high-value care, partnering with local organizations to perform outreach and offering health education to address our community’s needs now and for generations to come. The hospital system is named one of Healthgrades America’s 50 Best™ Hospitals and holds a 5-Star Overall Rating from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS). Learn more at www.evergreenhealth.com.

Media contacts

Cody Miller
EvergreenHealth
425.899.1871
[email protected]

Kristi Herriott
Firmani + Associates Inc.
206.466.2702
[email protected]

This article is based on a press release from EvergreenHealth via GlobeNewsWire. The content has been republished for informational purposes.