Valley Takes Action on a Life Lost

Valley has launched two comprehensive initiatives to review the tragic passing of 12-year old urgent care patient Kaloni Bolton. We are here to care for people and are committed to providing quality and equitable care for all members of our community.

“Our team met with Kaloni’s family to hear their perspective, express our apology and learn from their experiences. Words cannot express the amount of pain and grief over this terrible loss and we pledge to continue our diligent efforts in examining existing practices and protocols and make changes where necessary to ensure the highest degree of safety for our patients,” said Matt Mulder, MD, Chief Medical Director. This is important work and we recognize the need for transparency. To that end, we initiated the following partnerships to conduct a comprehensive investigation and learn everything we can:

• National law firm Perkins-Coie is leading an independent Section 1557 review of the details of Kaloni’s case. Section 1557 is a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibiting discrimination.

• Our partners at United Minds, a global management consultancy, are facilitating the evaluation and identification of any opportunities to strengthen Valley’s Equity Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, communication strategies and efforts to address health inequities for the diverse communities we serve.

Valley’s staff is deeply saddened by Kaloni’s death. We are committed to the best possible care for all of our patients. Our leadership team and staff are committed to supporting a thorough investigation and evaluation. We intend to use the information gained to make any necessary changes that will ensure our patients are receiving the best and most equitable care possible.

Message from Valley's Senior Leadership Team

Message from Telly Russell, MD, Urgent Care Associate Medical Director

About Valley

Valley Medical Center is the largest nonprofit healthcare provider between Seattle and Tacoma, proudly serving more than 600,000 residents. In addition to the hospital, the Medical Center operates a network of more than four dozen primary, urgent care and specialty clinics throughout Southeast King County.