Interview with Gabrielle White, RN: Anniversary Celebration for HOI

Hoag Orthopedic Institute recently celebrated its first anniversary with a wonderful evening of food and fun at the Hotel Laguna. Anniversaries bring to mind the reasons for establishing HOI and the successes that have been enjoyed during the year. We are privileged to be able to interview Gabrielle White, Executive Director of Peri Operative Services and Networks, about Hoag Orthopedic Institute, its history, and its successes.

HOI: We'd like to know a bit of the history of how Hoag Orthopedic Institute was established. For example, could you could briefly tell us the story of HOI and its founding, and the ideals that have provided the driving force behind its success.

Gabrielle White: About 14 years ago the idea was discussed between a couple of surgeons and some from Administration at Hoag Hospital, to one day build a specialty hospital for the care of orthopedic patients. These physicians have experienced success with their ambulatory surgery centers and realized the benefits of specialized, focused care and the efficiencies and quality that bring true value in care. Around the beginning of 2010, we started the planning and building of HOI in Irvine California, bringing together orthopedic surgeons from the community to partner with Hoag Hospital. A lot of the success stems from the working partnership between the physicians and Hoag, and Hoag trusting the physicians and the teams to create the vision. So far we have done a pretty good job.

HOI: What do you see as the greatest achievements of HOI during the past year?

Gabrielle White: I see a number of achievements, but in listing the greatest of course it would start with getting the hospital built and fully licensed and accredited within a rigid timeframe. Another truly significant achievement would be bringing together physicians and staff from other hospitals within the community and seeing the hospital

grow into itself with their hard work and openness. I think the teamwork between the staff and physicians to help HOI become the success it already is, the ideas, the shared goal for high quality and efficiencies can be listed as great achievements. We have developed and maintained a culture that embraces change and thinking outside the box to provide better care and experience for our patients and visitors, and this culture is an achievement that gives us pride.

HOI: Have you encountered any hurdles or problems that you have had to overcome, or have the achievements been accomplished fairly smoothly?

Gabrielle White: Bringing so many people together into new environment at the pace we needed to was daunting at times and a challenge for people to adjust to. Getting to know each other and the expectations people had of a hospital with no past or present. Most often centers are only adding a few new people to an existing team or a new physician into the mix, we had almost 200 employees plus many, many physicians all at once to come together to establish our processes and systems and create the hospital and our culture.

All in all, when you look back at what we did, it was as smooth as anyone could wish it to be but it took a lot of work and dedication.

HOI: Could you please share with us some of the moments that were enjoyed most during the anniversary celebration?

Gabrielle White: The whole night was exactly what we wanted to celebrate everyone's achievements for our first year in business. Everyone was happy and surprised. We had over 400 people attend throughout the night.

Hotel Laguna was so helpful and kind enough to allow us the entire Hotel for the evening. They did a terrific job. We had various rooms set up with different things going on - an outdoor tent with seafood buffet and acoustic music to start, other rooms with casino tables, the restaurant with more food and a quieter place to sit and downstairs we had a terrific band that got everyone moving. People loved it and they are still talking about it, asking if we can do it again this year. We'll most likely give it another couple of years of success before we throw something that big again.

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Gabrielle White, RN, graduated from Nursing School in Australia in 1989 and moved to California in 1994. She has spent most of her career in the surgical side of healthcare and primarily orthopedics. She has served as Director of the Orthopedic Surgery Center of Orange County in Newport Beach, an affiliate of Hoag Hospital, since 2001 and has been involved with HOI since early 2010 where she currently oversees all Peri Operative Services.