Nearly 20 years ago, Dave Keyes and his late wife, Doreen, invested in community health care by providing the seed funding that would help establish an entirely new stroke care service line. Today, that investment has blossomed into EvergreenHealth’s nationally recognized Stroke Care Center, where thousands of Eastside residents have received emergency stroke treatment and long-term rehabilitation.
“It’s essential to have advanced stroke care right here in the community, because stroke is very time-dependent,” said David Likosky, MD, EvergreenHealth Chief Medical and Quality Officer, neurologist and founding medical director of the stroke center. “Standing up a program like this is resource-intensive, and that’s where the Keyes Foundation’s gift made all the difference.”
Dave’s first experience with Evergreen Health was when his mother-in-law received cancer treatment at the medical center in Kirkland.
“I was so impressed with the compassionate and caring attitude of everyone we met there,” he said. “So we started looking into how it was funded and how we could help, which led us to the Foundation, and they connected us with Dr. Likosky—this was his concept. It’s remarkable what it’s grown into.”
“We’ve worked over the years to deliver on a promise to develop the stroke care program into a core service line for EvergreenHealth and our surrounding community. The accolades the program has earned are a testament to the Keyes’ vision and our teams’ dedication to delivering the highest level of stroke care available,” Dr. Likosky added.
EvergreenHealth’s stroke program has been consistently recognized for exceptional care by Healthgrades and the American Heart Association. It is a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center by DNV Healthcare, which means it meets the highest national standards for stroke care.
Twenty years ago a donation by the Keyes family planted the seed that grew into Evergreen Health’s esteemed stroke care center. Every day at the Foundation we see the power of giving. The proof is in these lifesaving treatments for our patients on the Eastside.
This story originally appeared in the summer 2025 edition of the Giving Matters newsletter.