As speech-language pathologists (SLPs) nationwide can attest, the challenges of delivering quality health care are more acute than ever in today’s world.
When faced with the challenges of a struggling health care system while working as a clinical SLP at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center in the early 2000s, Washington State University Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences alum Sommer Kleweno Walley (‘95 BA SHS, ’97 MA SHS) decided she wanted to make a difference.
“Just because you’re good at what you do clinically, it doesn’t mean you have leadership skills or business acumen,” Kleweno Walley said. “I realized if I wanted to bring those strengths and make a difference, I needed to get a background in them.”
Kleweno Walley received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington in 2009 and went on to hold multiple leadership positions across Harborview. She joined the executive team in 2017 as the senior associate administrator for Surgical, Emergent, Integrated Clinical Services, and she was promoted to CEO in September 2021 following a nine-month interim position.
Taking a leadership position during the height of the pandemic offered a unique challenge—and opportunity—for Kleweno Walley, who helped lead the creation of the Washington Medical Coordination Center (WMCC).
The WMCC worked with the Washington State Department of Health to centrally manage the placement of COVID-19 patients, ensuring there were no Washingtonians left without equitable and quality health care. These efforts were critical in coordinating care for populations in rural eastern Washington.
“At all times, but especially during the pandemic, it showed me the importance of staying true to who we are here to serve: everybody,” Kleweno Walley said.
Kleweno Walley’s passion for serving the community and mission-driven organizations such as Harborview goes back to her eastern Washington roots.
“I was raised on a farm about 45 minutes from Pullman,” she said. “It’s all about working hard and contributing back to the community.”
She also ascribes much of her service-mindedness and foundational beliefs to best practices in health care to her time as a clinical SLP, where she worked across the continuum at Harborview, from inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation units to the ICU and acute care floors. Through these varied experiences, she learned the crucial role SLPs play in multidisciplinary teams and the patient’s recovery as a journey.
“Patients progress through phases of care, and you have to think beyond what’s in front of you,” Kleweno Walley said. “We need to evolve our clinical care approach to prepare our patients for their next phase on a continuum and see the patient’s recovery as a whole.”
Kleweno Walley encourages future SLPs and those seeking leadership roles to similarly gain exposure to all the continuums of care for patients throughout their recovery. Perhaps most of all, she encourages them to stay true to who they are there to serve.
“Take it from the perspective of what the patient and family need and want. Provide patient choice and recommendations,” Kleweno Walley said. “And ensure that we’re listening.”
This story was originally published in Wavelength, the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences newsletter. Read the latest edition.