← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Gabrielle Cummings, President of Evanston Hospital and NorthShore Hospitals
00:17:28
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I'm Chris Soster, your host, and I'm thrilled to be joined today by Gabriel Cummings. She is the president of North Shore Hospitals in Evanston Hospital in Illinois. Gabriel, thank you for joining us today.
- [00:12]
B
Hi, Chris. Happy to be here. Thanks for the opportunity.
- [00:16]
A
Awesome. Our conversation today is not really going to be about the X's and O's of hospital operations. We do those conversations a lot at Becker. This is a little bit different. We just want to get inside your career a little bit and what your journey has been like and other things that you would like to share. Make sense?
- [00:32]
B
Yeah, makes sense.
- [00:34]
A
Awesome. First question I have for you is simply, what is something you learned outside of health care that you've applied to your career?
- [00:40]
B
Yeah. So I love to travel, and in my travels, I spend a lot of time watching how airlines operate and how they function. Sometimes not so good, sometimes really well. But I will say that I feel like airlines are trying to do a really good job at customer service and making sure the customer comes first and trying to be proactive with communicating and reacting as well as drawing boundaries. And that is a skill that I've applied for my work life. Right. Like we in health care at Endeavor Health, which is the system name for my organization, we really focus on making sure that the customer comes first and how can we be proactive to make sure that our patients, the visitors that come with our patients, feel safe and feel well cared for by also setting boundaries. Right. Because we are a health care organization and there are boundaries that we need to make sure are kept, are considered as we move forward to care for folks every day.
- [01:35]
A
Gabriel, I'm curious, without naming airline names, was there a particular trip that was particularly memorable as far as they took really good care of you and did all the things that you just mentioned?
- [01:48]
B
Yeah. So I won't mention an airline because my fiance and I often debate about which one is better. I'm kind of starting to move to his side of the aisle just based on recent travel experiences. But I'll. I'll say that the trips where I feel like I'm treated the best are the ones that I call the over ocean flights, the ones that are long haul flights where you're on an airplane for 15 or so hours and they know that you're trapped in this tube for a prolonged period of time. So there's obviously a level of anxiety that can come with that. And I just, I remember just the care and kindness that I'm shown for those long trips where People want to make sure that you're comfortable and that you're well rested as well as you can be sitting on a plane for that long. But just over ocean trips are really the ones that I feel like they. They try to treat you with kindness and thoughtfulness.
- [02:34]
A
Yeah, that certainly makes sense. I mean, I've only done one over ocean trip, but I do remember the staff on both those airlines being very courteous and kind, too. So I'm glad that it matches up with your experience as well. And that does seem to me to be analogous to just being a patient in the hospital. Right. And you want them to take care of you, and they understand that you might be there a while. So clearly that's something you've translated to your work as well.
- [03:00]
B
Right? Exactly. I haven't. I mean, every journey is different. I think when I'm walking through the hallways of my hospitals, I always remember that you can't make an assumption about what people are going through when you see them. Right. Some people are here for their 10th chemotherapy visit or with a loved one that just had surgery, or here for primary care visit and are just here for lab tests. So it's so important to be mindful of treating everyone with kindness and compassion, because you don't know at what stage they are in their healthcare journey. And I think that's a responsibility that we have as healthcare providers, and I kind of glean some of that from my travels across the world.
- [03:35]
A
It makes sense. It sounds like a perfect mindset to have. On that note, traveling, at least for me, and maybe it's the same for you. Please tell us, can be very good for one's mental health. I want to talk to you now. My question is, how do you keep yourself healthy? Because obviously you and your staff are doing everything they possibly can to keep their patients and your staff healthy. How do you do that for yourself? Whether it's emotionally, rather physically, mentally? How do you keep yourself healthy?
- [04:06]
B
Yeah, it's not easy. Our jobs as healthcare leaders are very difficult, and I feel like in the past year, it's been become even more difficult. We just came out of COVID and now we're dealing with a lot of federal changes that are impacting how we manage our care every hour of every day. But I believe in balance and making sure that I find a way to stay balanced. So I am a very spiritually grounded person, and I do meditations every morning that help me think clearly about how my day is going to start. What do I want to focus on? How am I going to enter into this day. And so that's something I do for about 20, 25 minutes every morning. I'm also really fortunate. I mentioned my fiance. My fiance, he is in health care as well. He's the system chief medical officer for Unity Point Health, and he is my rock. And we're able to really talk about the good, bad, and different and ugly of things that are happening in health care, but also how we make sure we take care of ourselves and one another as we. As we go through our journey at work.
- [05:05]
A
So, yeah, your meditation is certainly intriguing. I mean, when I've done it, it usually doesn't last quite 20, 25 minutes. So to me, that is very impressive. What exactly? I mean, you gave us a little bit of a taste of what's going through your mind, but can you expound on how that keeps you focused? And have other people at Endeavor Health or North Shore, any of the hospitals that you're at, have they picked up on that as well?
- [05:29]
B
Well, that's interesting. So to answer your last question first, I'm not sure if anyone else has picked up on it because I. I talk about it, but I don't talk about it broad. When I'm mentoring other healthcare executives or if I'm having a phone conversation with a colleague who's going through a challenging time and wants some guidance, I talk about my meditations. And my meditations are very guided. Right. It's a program that I read every morning. There's a different one every day. And so I probably, if I was like, doing like a yoga meditation every day, I'm not sure I could handle 20, 25 minutes. But because this is a guided, I read different, different quotes, different scriptures, and kind of the lesson that's learned for that day that helps me what I need to handle for the day. And if I'm dealing with something challenging, just kind of staying rooted in the why, how my day started moving forward. So I share it when appropriate. But I think for those listening, I think that whether it's meditation for you or yoga or enjoying the outdoors, I think as healthcare executives, we have to make sure we find time to stay balanced and take care of ourselves because we spend so much time as leaders taking care of others. And it can be. It can be hard sometimes our work is not easy.
- [06:39]
A
Yeah. You're not kidding. Gabriel. As much as I speak to, I'm not directly in the field, right. As a journalist, so I can't directly relate to that, but certainly in all the conversations I've had with executives and anyone really? Who's in the healthcare field. I know it's. It's very tough right now. Speaking of tough days, I mean, you mentioned how meditation helps you, and your fiance has been very helpful in that regard as well. Could you expound a little bit on maybe one or two tough days that you've had and how you're able to bounce back? Because I think that is certainly relatable with everyone who's going to hear this podcast.
- [07:19]
B
Yeah. So the unfortunate thing is that I can name two tough days without hesitation. They actually are very similar to one another. So we recently had a shooting at our hospital where we had an employee who was injured as a result of the shooting. And that was a really tough. Right. Like, you don't come to work in a health care setting expecting that one of your team members who's giving their all is going to get shot. And it had ripple effects across the entire organization. And it had a ripple effect on me because I also was involved in a mass shooting about three years ago at Highland Park Hospital with the July 4th mass shooting. So I tell my colleagues, I kind of joke and say, well, unfortunately, I already have this playbook. Like, I've done this before, but it's heavy, right? It's difficult. And I have colleagues, we all have colleagues out there that are dealing with this kind of violence, unfortunately, probably much more often than I am. But it really wears on you as a leader. It wears on you because you're here to provide care, and obviously provide care whatever way, shape or form that happens or comes. But it's difficult as a leader to deal with violence in the healthcare setting and having to make sure that your team members are safe when you don't know what may be coming. And so that's why I think the ability to stay grounded, talking to your colleagues and being aware of how they're feeling is really. We have a really great program at Endeavor Health called the Rise Program, which is a program where team members are trained to help us process difficult events, whether it be the shootings that I referenced or team members who may have had a patient who just coded and they need to talk to someone to help navigate it. And so our Rise in well being program has really been a critical part of making sure that we, as healthcare leaders stay balanced and are able to navigate through those tough times. And sometimes you can navigate through it in a day, sometimes it takes months. But I think it's important to honor and recognize that you should allow those feelings to manifest and get help when you need help. And it's okay to talk to people and it's okay to, I say, ride the wave. Right. Like, I feel like sometimes emotions can be very powerful and you have to ride the wave and allow yourself to feel the emotions and let it come in, but also let it go out so that you can continue to move forward with day, whether it be personal or professional.
- [09:35]
A
Yeah. Gabriel, here's hoping that those were the last times anyone will ever have to deal with a shooting hospital. I don't suspect that will be the case, but moving forward, certainly I'm glad that your team was able to rise to the occasion. And that's pretty much all you can ask of your team on a day to day basis when it comes to such things.
- [09:52]
B
Yeah. Yeah. I'm so fortunate to work with such amazing people. I mean, yeah, I'm just very fortunate. We have a great team. I've been here for 24 years at Endeavor Health for 24 years. And, you know, I've stayed this long because it's a great organization. We have great clinicians, great EVST members, great ancillary staff. We rally together to do what's best for one another and do what's best for our patients.
- [10:15]
A
Gabriel, shifting gears slightly here, you mentioned a little bit about what you've learned from the airlines and how you've taken that in to your career as a healthcare provider and executive. So my next question is, what is something you've learned about yourself from working in healthcare?
- [10:31]
B
What have I learned about myself? So I've learned that I am very resilient. I think sometimes as people, we don't realize how resilient we are. And I've realized just over my 24 years of being at this organization that the work that we do can be really tough. Right. Like we went through Covid and now we're going through federal changes and the dynamics that happen in a day and supporting employees in difficult times or patients in difficult times times. But you. I'm resilient. I'm able to wake up every day and come back and do what needs to be done to provide support to the organization and to patients that we're privileged to serve and to employees. So I think resilience is the word that I think of. I, you know, I'm, I'm kind of a love it, hate it athlete. I don't know if I'm an athlete, but I, I love and hate working out all at the same time because it's important for my stress management. But I, I've realized when I'm doing Some my workout classes, the importance of, like, pushing through the pain. Right. And being able to get to the other side. And that is a demonstration of resiliency. Because when you hit that hill when I'm riding my peloton and they're like, okay, we're going to do a six minute climb, I'm like, really? I'm tired. But then you do it and you're like, okay, I was able to get through it. I have more in me than I thought. And I'm stronger than. Sometimes you're stronger than you realize.
- [11:47]
A
And I'm so glad you mentioned what you feel like when you get to the other side because that, that's what you can look back and go, huh? I actually did that thing.
- [11:55]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's nice to be able to look back and say that I did it. Right. Like sometimes when you're training for it or you're in the middle of it, it feels really challenging and really painful. But then you, like, at the end you're like, oh my gosh, I did it. I'm strong enough, I'm smart enough, I'm resilient enough to make it through whatever challenge you're facing.
- [12:14]
A
And then you do the next one.
- [12:16]
B
Yes, you do. Which I'm going to do today. I have to do a peloton ride today.
- [12:22]
A
Terrific. Thanks for sharing that, Gabriel. All right, so the last question that I have for you is what is one risk you've taken that's paid off? It can be personally, professionally, however you want to take that.
- [12:32]
B
Yeah. So maybe I'll combine personal professionals. So I decided about a year ago to start taking Krav Maga classes, which are self defense classes. People that know me, maybe people that are listening to these records, podcasts, know me, that I like relaxation, right? Like I like to go to the spa. I like to do things that are, that are mindful and peaceful. The idea of having somebody punch me or having to punch someone is not my idea of fun at all. And so I decided a little more than a year ago that I wanted to take a self defense class. One to protect myself, but also to push myself beyond my limits to see what I could do. And. And so taking Krav Maga actually helped me develop and expand a side of myself that I never thought that I'd be able to do. I remember looking at the welts on my arm after doing some of the training sessions. I'm not still doing it. So I did it for a while, but I was kind of like, I had enough. I Learned what I needed to learn and I'm going to move on. But I think going through that experience and taking that chance helped to affirm that there is joy and there is really opportunity in trying something different. I think it really helps your mind and your mindset to change and to grow beyond what you're capable of. And it also opened up like new ideas and perspectives to me about things that work. So doing Krav Maga, I had to really get tough and I had to brace for impact. Literally. Right, like you have to learn how to fall, you have to learn how to take a punch. And not to say that we do that in health care, but there are situations where you are in environments where you got to learn how to absorb the impact of something that's a challenge. And so doing that helped again, give me confidence and helped to build me up to be prepared for the dynamics that come, that come your way or that come my way. And so that was a chance that I took. I'm not sure if I will take it again. There's a colleague who's really into Krav Maga and takes it all the time. There are actually several. But I look back on the pictures of the welts on my arms and I'm like, I think I know enough to protect myself. I learned the lesson and maybe I'll go back another time, but I'm going to stay out of it for now. But it was a great experience while I did it.
- [14:39]
A
Well, I think we can safely assume that you were referring to figurative punches in healthcare as far as absorbing.
- [14:44]
B
Absolutely, absolutely figurative. Even though, Chris, to keep it real, workplace violence and healthcare is real, it's unfortunately on the rise and our clinicians are dealing with it all the time. I think that's why a lot of healthcare providers are taking self defense classes. Not because they're getting often, you know, hit, punched by patients. But unfortunately it does happen and it's happening more, which is why many of us are, you know, talking to our legislators and government officials about what we can do to protect health care workers, keep them safe. We can do that for airline stewardesses. We should be able to do it for doctors, nurses, EVS employees, healthcare employees in general.
- [15:23]
A
I wholeheartedly agree. And if nothing else, I mean, certainly, as you just so eloquently put it, martial arts is not necessarily only about being able to do damage to another person. Right. So I think one thing that, that you explained that, I love that it's about putting yourself in a mindset of being able to handle Whatever might be coming your way. To use an off use cliche. Right. In terms of if I were a healthcare provider on the front lines. Yeah. I never want to have to go out of my way or harm anyone at all. But in case that situation arises, anything like you just described, I think you're probably better prepared mentally having gone through that training.
- [16:10]
B
Absolutely. Yeah. No, it does track, Chris. And I also think it helps with setting boundaries and knowing when a boundary is getting crossed. Right. I think sometimes as healthcare professionals, whether it be a direct caregiver or an administrator, we're very caring, giving and nurturing individuals. And I think sometimes we let the boundary. We are less likely to call people out when a boundary has been crossed or being aware of what a boundary is. And so I think things like Krav Maga or traveling and seeing what boundaries are set by airline employees, I think those types of things help us as healthcare executives and healthcare leaders, because you do have to know when a boundary is crossed and to understand and say it's not okay for whoever to do X, Y or Z. So boundaries are also very important in what we do, setting boundaries.
- [16:57]
A
And with that, Gabriel, thank you for taking this conversation full circle in a way that better than I ever could. So I appreciate that. Gabriel, we're going to see you in November at our CEO+CFO roundtable. So we can't wait to hear you speak at that. I can't wait till the next time we cross paths. I hope we'll be sooner rather than later.
- [17:17]
B
Thanks, Chris. It was a great time to talk to you and share my story with everyone, so thanks for your time.