Interview with Kenneth D. Graham, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Camino Hospital

• Published in: Journal of healthcare management Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 217 - 222
• Main Author: O'Connor, Stephen J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, WK Health 01.07.2011; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Architecture; California; Careers; Chief executive officers; Community; Corporate presidents; Earthquakes; Graham, Kenneth D; Hospitals; Nonprofit organizations; Officials and employees; Personal computers; Presidents; Professional associations; Public health; Research parks; Social responsibility; Trade and professional associations; California; United States > US
• ISSN: 1096-9012; 1944-7396
• DOI: 10.1097/00115514-201107000-00002

In an interview, Kenneth D. Graham, president and CEO of El Camino Hospital, talked about his career. On his eighteenth birthday Graham began working for a medical architect in Malibu, CA. He worked his way through college with that company and was involved with research projects examining how hospitals used space when building new facilities, which sparked his interest in hospitals. El Camino Hospital was founded in the late 1950s, when the area was still called the Valley of the Heart's Delight. El Camino was the first CPOE hospital in the world. People have come here for decades to see how computerized medical records improve patient care and safety. The most improbable project that he undertook was at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, WA. His parents were both artists, and they instilled in him the importance of giving back to the community. That's why he ended up in public health and not-for-profit healthcare.