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Leading By Example: Pattie Ellish, President and CEO, St. Tammany Parish Hospital
by Catherine Robertson
MORE THAN 33 YEARS AGO, Patti Ellish was struck by the caring and compassion for others shown by an RN at her high school career day. Her own desire to help others was heightened, and she was inspired to become a nurse. Ellish says, “I wasn’t sure if I had it in me. My family was surprised, maybe even shocked, probably because I was so tenderhearted. In some ways, that made me want to be a nurse even more.”
Today, Ellish is the president and CEO of St. Tammany Parish Hospital. But her ideals, values and commitment to patient care are the same as they were when she started on her career path. “I am still the Charity nurse that I was 33 years ago, but a lot wiser—and a little grayer,” she laughs.
Ellish sees her moves from nurse to charge nurse to head nurse to director of nurses to chief operating officer to CEO as a natural transition that offered her opportunities to gain more knowledge and skills. “I don’t think of it as leaving direct patient care. I haven’t done bedside nursing in many years, but I still feel, even today, that my actions and leadership have a direct impact in patient care no matter what position I have held in the hospital setting,” she says.
Successfully delivering the best possible healthcare to others rests on a foundation of three commitments, Ellish asserts passionately: loyalty to the community you serve, cultivating the caregivers of the future and reliance upon technology to improve healthcare.
Practicing what she preaches, she promotes a positive attitude and an unyielding desire to enhance the quality of life in our community. Shortly after she took the helm at St. Tammany, the parish, the state and local community hospitals were charged with privatizing the Covington health unit to decrease public funding for health initiatives. Ellish was instrumental in launching the St. Tammany Parish Hospital Community Wellness Center to meet the public health need.
Ellish recognizes that her responsibility to the future of healthcare is critical. In conjunction with the continued upgrades to the hospital, she says, “A very real shortage of healthcare professionals was only further exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina. Planning for the future and growing our facility helps us draw in qualified physicians, nurses and support staff nationwide, but more significantly, we are able to inspire and encourage our own young people to remain close to home and to choose caring as a profession.”
There is a personal element in her strong interest in the next generation. She says, “I am very proud of both of my children. To think that one of them decided to follow in my footsteps brings me joy. It is heartwarming for me to know that my daughter chose this profession for all the right reasons and that she now can experience what I feel each day, which is a sense of purpose, knowing that you can make a difference in the lives that you touch.”
Ellish describes her commitment to the next generation of healthcare professionals as a pillar of her organizational goals, encouraging emerging healthcare practitioners and administrators. Students of healthcare disciplines, including medicine, nursing, technologies and allied health professions, gain practical experience and mentoring at St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
Upon joining STPH, Ellish soon implemented the Disney model of customer satisfaction, focusing on a team approach that blends employees’ needs with fundamental job requirements. Incorporating employees’ needs increases employee satisfaction, and, Ellish notes, “Happy employees are motivated to do a better job.”
Her philosophy is proven in scores from Press Ganey, the national leader of healthcare ranking organizations, which shows STPH in the top echelon of hospitals by patient satisfaction. And patient exit surveys consistently show some 94 percent of patients satisfied or highly satisfied with their STPH experience.
Ellish views information technology as arguably the most important innovation in healthcare for patient safety, satisfaction and quality care. “Our goal is to improve healthcare by providing our neighbors with a medical facility that is prevention-centered, neighborhood-located and electronically connected,” she emphasizes.
Far too often, today’s doctors and hospitals are using outmoded technology or manual procedures when electronic means exist. St. Tammany is one of only a quarter of American hospitals using information technology in delivery of care. “Today, when Americans step inside the healthcare system, we literally step back in time, where paper-based medical records are used to track vital health statistics. That is why placing healthcare IT into the hands of care providers must be one of our nation’s top priorities,” Ellish says.
When asked what she considers the most important thing she does on a day-to-day basis, Ellish responds, “Lead by example.” Committed to her community, the next generation of caregivers and technology that saves lives, Patti Ellish does just that as she continues to strive for superior quality healthcare on the northshore and beyond.
