The City of Seattle chartered the Pacific Hospital Preservation & Development Authority (PHPDA) in 1981. Its asset is the Beacon Hill property known previously as the Public Health Service Hospital or Pacific Hospital. One hundred percent of the Tower lease revenues are committed to the PHPDA’s mission of supporting health care for the needy and disadvantaged in the Seattle-King County region. The property is composed of a 14-story historic hospital tower leased to Wright Runstad (currently sub-leased to Amazon.com), a clinic in the ground floor and basement of the tower, six Officer's Quarters buildings and a parking garage (all leased to Pacific Medical Centers), and the common property.

The PHPDA currently supports health care access through three major programs:

1. Charity Health Care Services

The PHPDA contracts with Pacific Medical Centers to deliver charity health care services, with a priority of supporting specialty care for uninsured patients referred by the community health centers in Seattle and King County and by clinics of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health.

2. Interpreter Services

The PHPDA supports culturally appropriate care through a contract with the Department of Social and Health Services to fund interpreter services for limited-English-speaking Medicaid patients.

3. Initiatives

The PHPDA also funds individual projects that support its mission, such as King County Project Access.

Public Development Authorities (PDAs) are unique, independent entities of Seattle government, which are legally separate from the City. This allows accomplishment of public purpose activities without assuming them into the regular functions of city government. Each PDA is governed by a volunteer council, commonly called a governing board, which sets policies and oversees activities and staff. Thus, the success or failure of a public corporation is dependent on its council’s abilities.

More information on Seattle Public Development Authorities is available here.