Outcomes December 2017 Newsletter

4 Why Does Barlow Matter? A conversation with board members Nancy Katayama and Diane Naegele We sat down with board members Nancy Katayama and Diane Naegele who serve on different Barlow Boards of Directors. Nancy serves as Secretary, Barlow Foundation Board of Directors and Diane serves as Vice Chair, Barlow Hospital Board of Directors. Their conversation touched on the different paths that drew them to Barlow Respiratory Hospital and their shared commitment to the hospital’s future. Q: How were you first introduced to Barlow Respiratory Hospital? Nancy : My mother had emphysema. She was on a ventilator and was at several different hospitals before she was transferred to Barlow. In retrospect, this is where she should have come first, but the doctor told us “I don’t know if you are going to like it.” I think it was because of the facilities at the time. But it was the people who made my mother’s experience here so extraordinary. When I first came to visit her here, I walked into the room and it was so silent and peaceful. The breathing machine at the other hospital had been loud but the Barlow equipment was state of the art and quiet. This was the first place I felt I could relax and trust the people here to care for her. The staff were constantly in and out, checking on her, cleaning her, making her comfortable. They were not able to wean my mother from the ventilator and were gracious enough to allow her stay until we could find another facility we felt was appropriate for her. I am grateful for that. It has been seventeen years since my mother passed away, and yet it is the people who cared for her that continue to make such a difference. The people of Barlow, the respiratory therapists, the doctors, the nurses, are the reason I support this hospital. Diane : When I moved to Los Angeles from Chicago, I wanted to be a part of something that would have an impact. I spent years working in hospitals and decades in healthcare and when I met with Dr. Nelson and others here at Barlow, I was convinced. It was the people. Here at Barlow it is a team approach. All the specialists are pulling in the same direction. I think the reason Barlow is so successful in what we do is that the patients have faith in everyone on the hospital team, everyone who touches them while they are here. I have seen patients convinced that everyone has their best interest at heart. To see people who feared they may never recover suddenly have a glimmer of real hope, it is so moving, so emotional. It makes all the difference to me. THE INTERVIEW 5 Q: What do people need to know about Barlow? Diane : My mother had complex pulmonary problems and my sister had asthma since she was a young girl. No one asks to have asthma. I am touched when I see young patients at Barlow. You generally consider the elderly as patients for a respiratory hospital but we often serve younger patients. Nancy : Patients come to Barlow for a number of reasons, automobile accidents or complex medical conditions. The beauty of Barlow is that it does not look much different from how it looked a hundred years ago and it offers state of the art care. Barlow is a small hospital and a lot of people don’t know where we are or the wonderful work we do here. In the future I hope people will discover us. Diane : At Barlow patients can be weaned from the ventilator to go home to their families and resume their lives. Daughters have their moms again, husbands have their wives back… all because we are really, really good at what we do. Nancy : Yes, we bring families together again. Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Barlow Respiratory Hospital? Diane : One of the things that excites me most is facing up to ongoing, almost constant changes in healthcare delivery. You look at this campus and here we are more than one hundred years later and we are still here giving back to our community. We have weathered dramatic changes and we have such a dynamic future. In the coming years, there is a risk that patients who are medically complex and resource-intensive may fall through the cracks. They are the ones that Barlow is best prepared to serve. It is important that Barlow remains here in the healthcare delivery continuum. I believe we have the vision to figure out how to ensure larger hospitals remain inspired to transfer patients to us for the intensive medical care only Barlow can provide. Q: Why does Barlow matter? Nancy : Barlow gives patients back their lives. There are miraculous stories of recovery and the experience of care here is unlike anywhere else. Diane : You’re not going to come here for a broken arm or a cough, but if you really need us, Barlow is the only place to go. WHY DOES BARLOW MATTER? It is the people that make Barlow important. Barlow gives patients back their lives. Board Members Nancy Katayama (L) and Diane Naegele (R)