and attainment of our mission and fulfillment for the institution.
“In terms of what happens here at Saint Johns, in terms of the mission and the oversight of quality of care, that is the responsibility of the local governing board... The nature of the health care industry in general is regarded as one of the most complex and difficult industries. It is highly regulated, probably more regulated than any other industry. If you would assemble all of the documentation of the laws and regulations and standards of health care, it would amount to more than 130,000 pages, three times the size of the U.S. tax code. You might draw an analogy looking at that of a hospital to a small city if you consider all of the trade, the types of services, the knowledge of the workers. You are dealing with some of the most highly educated people in the land to people who are in entry-level positions with nominal educations. So the gradient between the most educated and the most nominally educated, it is really quite large. The complexity of what we do while our primary purpose is to care for the poor and underserved, many people confuse what we do with being hospital care. And while that’s the vehicle for our mission, for our purpose, that mission is in fact, care for the poor.
“You are dealing with people, people who bring a unique history, a unique set of familial experiences, traditions, beliefs, faith orientation and general life experiences that require customization. We have standard processes, care protocol and ways we approach the individual, but each of those has to be customized to that individual’s needs. We have to respond not only to their physical needs but their emotional and physical needs as well. It’s only through addressing each of those dimensions and the uniqueness that they represent for the person that we’re able to maximize what we do in the form of care. To ignore any one of those dimensions is not going to result in a positive outcome for the person.”
You have been involved in many roles at Saint Johns, what stands out for you?
“Certainly I know more about construction today, more than I believed I would learn. And unfortunately I know more about construction delays than one person has a right to learn about. The project itself has been an absolutely wonderful experience. It’s invigorating. There is a sense for me, as well as others in the organization, of enthusiasm, optimism, looking forward to doing what we do more effectively. In that sense and predominately it’s been this overwhelmingly positive experience. The downside, the frustrating side, has been the delay in getting this particular piece of the puzzle up and running. And all of the issues that have been the fabric of those delays. That said, we are embarking on a new phase. We’ve got a new general contractor, and we are very optimistic with our prospects of success. So we take what happened in this particular step as going forward. And despite the delays, despite the frustrations in the acute care piece we are about to open, we are very happy with the product. It is well made. We are glad we stuck to the specifications and all of the things we planned for and designed.”
How emotional was the decision to close the hospital after the earthquake?
“We didn’t know what the outcome would be. We knew we were closed. We knew it was a sentinel event in the history of Saint Johns, but we didn’t know the implication. So four days later, we had a scheduled governing board meeting. There was a conversation about what we should do. Do we just close? Do we continue? It was really interesting to watch the courage of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, which was evident on that day. They said, ‘No, we will continue our ministry in this community.’ The decision was made that day by the sisters and the governing board. It is that same courageous pioneer spirit they exhibited when they established their community in 1856. It is the same spirit that paid them forward over the decades. They’ve made decisions to do something even though how they could do it was not apparent. It was really humbling to witness it in 1994 on that occasion. Because in fact, the simpler, easier conventional business decision might have been, ‘Let’s walk away, we are done here in Santa Monica.’ It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and no plan on how to do it. They had the courage and faith that God would provide and see that through.”
How did you raise money to rebuild? “There has been a concerted effort by Saint Johns to tap into the base of grateful patients and supporters in the community in a much more dramatic fashion. In the eyes of prospective benefactors, there has been a compelling reason to give — that is the rebuilding of Saint Johns and the perpetuation of the legacy that was created for us by the Sisters of Charity in terms of quality of care, the environment of care, what Saint Johns represents as a place to practice medicine, a place to practice nursing care, a place to work, as well as what it means to patients. So the combination of grateful patients, a compelling story and a vision for what can be in the future has made it possible for us to tap into the community, and the community has been exceptionally supportive and generous toward us.”
What’s your favorite and least favorite part of the day?
“It’s when I roam the halls, seeing people. I’ve been here so long, I’m kind of a fossil at Saint Johns. I know a huge number of people. It’s nice to see people in the hallways and ask them what they are up to. How was vacation? How’s your son doing? It’s always energizing, that interaction.
“My least favorite part of the day is the sum of the mundane things like signing checks.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 4, 2004. Read the original PDF.