How EvergreenHealth turned a static newsletter into a hub nearly every employee uses

How it started

For decades, EvergreenHealth's weekly newsletter was part of the culture. It started as paper delivered to mail stops and later moved to email as a PDF. Employees valued it, but as the public health system grew, the format couldn't keep up with an increasingly mobile workforce.

Finding a specific update meant scrolling through PDFs or searching old emails. "Frontline workers had to dig through emails or check break rooms for updates, which is far from ideal in a fast-paced care environment," said Shelly Henderson, Director of Internal Communications.

The team also had no reliable data. They couldn't see who they were reaching, especially deskless staff, or how any message performed.

"Without measurement or feedback, it was hard to improve or prove the impact of our work," Henderson said.

One hub. Real-time updates. Proof of impact.

EvergreenHealth chose Firstup for its collaborative approach and launched the platform as Treehouse. The first users were the Home Care team: about 600 employees who spend their days on the road and needed a reliable way to share real-time information. That early success built the case for everyone else.

Then the communications team made a bold move. They retired the PDF and moved the weekly newsletter into Treehouse as the "Monday Memo," with a warming campaign to ease the transition. Long articles became short, news-style summaries with links to read more. They're easier to scan, and every click is measurable.

Moving off the static PDF cut weekly production time by about 50%, giving the team time back for storytelling, analytics, and campaign planning.

Treehouse now carries the stories that matter most:

• Executive touchpoints, where leaders share personal stories beyond formal announcements
• Critical campaigns, like a tax district ballot measure that prepared employees to answer patient questions
• "Well Done" shout-outs, peer-to-peer recognition run with the Employee Engagement Committee

Integrations with Evergreen’s HRIS systems keep the user base current automatically, so messages reach the right people without manual list management.

"Treehouse has given our employees a consistent, accessible platform to stay informed, feel connected, and support our mission. It's also become a powerful way to bring our values to life through the meaningful stories we share."

– Shelly Henderson, Director of Internal Communications, EvergreenHealth

• Nearly 100% adoption, with about 5,000 unique employees reached each month
• More than 50% of employees engage with content monthly, well above industry benchmarks
• 50% less time spent producing the weekly newsletter
• Employee engagement 6 points above the healthcare average, with communication scoring 8 points above

Information that once meant scrolling through PDFs now takes seconds to find, which gives frontline staff more time for patient care. Leaders say they "spend less time forwarding emails and more time focusing on their teams." And leadership now describes the communications team as "more strategic and data-informed."