MK Ballet has been teaching students classical ballet in Western Washington since 1995. They moved to their beautiful new studio in the Issaquah Highlands in April 2008. They are proud to announce their Production of the classical ballet Coppelia, Oct 2nd and 3rd at the Meydenbauer Center. Coppelia is a romantic comedy origionally written and performed at the Paris Opera in the late 1800’s. Dr. Coppelious is an eccentric doll maker in a small European village. He makes a beautiful doll he names Coppelia and places her on a balcony for the village to see. Drama ensues since the town believes the doll to be a real person attracting the interest of a young village boy Franz. Swanilda, Franz’s girlfriend, becomes jealous, the town is curious, Dr.  Coppelious protects his creation as his natural daughter hoping she comes to life, and the story unfolds as an entertaining and complex script.

Artisitic Director, Michiko Black has a unique vision for this production of Coppelia. She has choregraphed each ballerina’s role to challenge their individual abilities, empowering them to perform beyond their expectations. Accompanying her students of all ages, are three highly recognized professional male dancers performing key lead roles: Oleg Gorboulev is a soloist for The Pacific
Northwest Ballet and will be dancing the main male role of Franz; Sylvain and Danny Boulet are professional dancers with Spectrum Dance Theater and are dancing the roles of Village Boys. Every costume is hand made by Michiko. Her elaborate and detailed designs are exquisite and complete this beautiful romantic comedy. Michiko is a Ballet master trained in Tokyo. She is
a former Ballet National Champion of Japan and a soloist in the Tokyo Ballet. She has also performed professionally as a screen and stage actress and is a former Mrs. Tokyo. Her troupe has been working hard for the past year preparing for this exciting performance. She and her students would like you to experience their enthralling version of Coppelia. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students 18 or younger.

Please contact 425 442 3226 or visit www.mkballet.com for ticket information.

Green Halloween® – The “eek-o-friendly” revolution (By Corey Hope Colwell-Lipson)

Who says Halloween has to be unhealthy? And who says healthy can’t be fun? Green Halloween® is about making Halloween happy and healthy and about creating community traditions we can all be proud of.

What is Green Halloween®?

Green Halloween® is a non-profit, grassroots initiative striving to create healthier, eco-friendlier holidays– starting with  Halloween. Launched in Seattle in 2007 by a mother of two, the nationwide movement is all about educating and inspiring
communities by showing how easy, affordable, and fun it can be to factor our earth and our health into our daily choices.
To read all about Green Halloween® and find fun events near you, visit www.GreenHalloween.org. You can learn how to get involved locally, sign up for the super nifty newsletter, and share DIY costume ideas, recipes, and more on the new discussion board.  There’s even a trick-or-treat bag design contest for kids! So forget orange and black. With upcoming events in cities across the U.S., this community initiative is adding much-needed green to Halloween. It’s a scream!

Members of the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Ava Frisinger celebrated the re-opening of Agavé Cocina & Tequilas on October 7th with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Julian Ramos, owner of Agavé, and family members joined the festivities as
they marked the official opening of this contemporary Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. Agavé is the plant that tequila is made from and inspired the name of the restaurant which offers over 90 types of tequila to chose from. The inviting family friendly  atmosphere and authentic Mexican fare have made Agavé a popular destination for many. Be sure to visit the Agavé family at 1048 NE Park Drive. To view their menu go to www.agaverest.com. Congratulations to Julian and his family!

Sometimes health care can be complicated, confusing and time consuming. Swedish is changing that on its newest medical campus. In August, Swedish started work on its new community-centered “medical commons” on land in the Issaquah Highlands, just off I-90 at exit 18 on N.E. Blakely Drive. Plans call for a 175-bed acute-care hospital, a comprehensive outpatient cancer center, and a five-floor medical office building (MOB). Foundation excavation on the construction site was completed in September to avoid inclement weather, and foundation work for the new facility will start in January 2010. The MOB is targeted to open in summer 2011, with the hospital following at the end of first quarter of 2012. When complete, Swedish will open the doors to a patient experience that will set the tone for the future of health care in the state of Washington.

Patient-Centered Model
Typically, patients travel multiple places for the care they need — a primary-care provider who might be close to home and specialists who may be scattered throughout the Seattle/Bellevue metro areas. Swedish is offering an alternative to this  out-of-date patient experience. The new Issaquah campus will include ambulatory-care services dedicated to outpatient primary care and specialty services, including physician offices, outpatient surgery, infusion therapy, laboratory, pharmacy and advanced imaging services.

The Swedish Cancer Institute’s medical and radiation oncology will occupy significant space in the new MOB so oncology patients will be able to obtain their follow-up treatments closer to home. The new 175-bed hospital will provide inpatient care, including routine obstetrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, emergency services and general surgery. In essence, the new “medical commons” will offer one-stop shopping for patients. “In the past, Eastside patients often had to travel to multiple locations for
needed care,” said Kevin Brown, senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Swedish. “We’ve designed this as a one-stop, integrated ‘medical commons’ with a strong emphasis on ambulatory services, backed up by an acute-care hospital.”

A Need for Health Services

The greater Issaquah/Sammamish area is experiencing tremendous growth. Trends in health care and area growth suggest the need for primary care will double in the next four to five years. Therefore, Swedish will include primary care in the new medical office building and also maintain its primary-care clinics in Factoria and Pine Lake, as well as its emergency and primary-care
services in its current Issaquah location (at 2005 N.W. Sammamish Road). New Swedish primary-care clinics will also be available in Redmond and Snoqualmie. Swedish will weave this new medical campus into the fabric of the Issaquah community. It will continue to support neighborhood activities, while offering patient education opportunities and meeting space for local groups and organizations. It will be an exciting hub of activity that will enhance community and individual wellness. The new Swedish campus will provide the very best care along with efficient processes that respect the patient’s time, convenient access and electronic medical records. The campus will be virtually paperless and include bedside access to the latest wireless communication and entertainment systems, plus consumer health education and training. The goal is to make health care less complicated, less confusing and less time consuming — now that’s worth celebrating.

Keep updated on construction: www.swedishissaquah.org or www.swedish.org/issaquah

There’s a brand-new building in Issaquah Highlands that may have caught your eye. Despite appearances, it’s not a ski lodge  (sorry kids). That beautiful building off Highlands Drive is the Proliance Highlands Medical Center. With the opening of Proliance, everyone in Issaquah and the surrounding areas now has local access to health services that were only once available in Bellevue and Seattle. For anyone who has had to fight traffic and pay exorbitant parking fees to visit a doctor, this is welcome news.

Proliance offers sports medicine and general orthopaedics, including surgeries such as knee and hip replacement. The new state-of-the-art center includes an MRI, ambulatory surgery center, orthopaedic clinic and physical therapy suite. Staffed by 13 doctors and more than 70 staff members, the center plans to add an ENT center (ear nose and throat) and a facial plastics suite in the near future.

The parent company of Proliance Highlands Medical Center is Proliance Surgeons, Inc., the largest surgical group in Washington. Executive Director Frank Gilbert says, “We’ve had a presence in Issaquah for more than 25 years. With the growing Issaquah population, we felt a need to expand our services to make top-notch orthopaedic care more accessible to area residents.” The 43,000 square foot building fits in perfectly with the architectural look and feel of Issaquah Highlands. Built in partnership with Marshall Erdman and Associates of Madison, Wisconsin, the new Proliance center was designed to reflect the natural setting. Two sides of the building offer panoramic views of forested land that is permanently dedicated as open space – it will never be cut down.

The exterior of the center features a stone façade and cedar beams, with exterior stone used in the lobby and cedar beams inside the building as well. A gas fireplace in the lobby adds a cozy feel while keeping the area welcoming and warm. Energy saving features have been implemented throughout, including totally digital clinical services such as digital x-ray machines, digital MRI and other equipment. This allows for optimum im¬aging quality without film, eliminating the use of toxic chemicals.
In about two years, Proliance will have a new neighbor—the Swedish hospital campus. Thanks to the proximity of both facilities, Issaquah Highlands will have outstanding healthcare services at our doorstep. The Proliance Highlands Medical Center is located at 510 8th Ave. NE and the phone number is (425) 392-3030. More information is available at www.pro-osm.com.