If you’re a patient at Eastside Medical Center these days, your care team might have a surprising member: Eastside CEO Trent Lind. Every morning, Lind leads a stand-up “huddle” with the hospital’s medical directors and department heads. From there, the senior team divides into smaller groups and rounds on every patient in the hospital. For Lind, it’s an immediate way to get at a singular goal: Improving the patient experience. “That’s what drives us every day.”
Lind took the helm at Eastside in January 2016, coming from Texas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston where he also served as CEO. Both Eastside and Texas Orthopedic are part of the Hospital Corporation of America network, one of the nation’s largest providers of healthcare. Lind has been with HCA since 2002 and served in leadership roles at HCA hospitals in Denver and Tampa as well. A native of Birmingham, he graduated from Wake Forest University and earned both a Master’s in Healthcare Administration and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Lind spoke with Gwinnett Magazine recently about Eastside Medical Center’s commitment to patient care and community service, plus the organization’s plans for future growth.
GM: Eastside has been serving the community for 35 years. How do these deep roots shape and impact the organization today?
TL: We view ourselves as the community hospital in Gwinnett County. Many of Eastside’s physicians and specialists established “first of its kind” care in Gwinnett. The vision of Eastside is to continue to be that community hospital where patients can receive personal customized care at a very high level. Daily, we invest in our facilities, in our infrastructure, and in our staff to be the best place to receive care, the best place to practice medicine and the best place to work.
GM: You’ve been here a little over a year now. What were your first impressions of Eastside?
TL: That we have very strong infrastructure in terms of facilities, and an extremely engaged medical staff and team of employees. We also have a real opportunity to share with the community more about the breadth and scope and level of care and services we provide. We want to continue to develop and grow our network of care and improve our access points for patients. We are here so that our patients don’t have to travel to get customized, personal, high-service care.
GM: What do you want the communitywhether past patients or those new to Eastsideto know about this medical center today?
TL: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life and that’s literally what drives every decision we make. That’s efficient, high-quality and high-service care for our patients. Every patient, every time. We continue to connect with the history and heritage of our organization, but at the same time, in many ways, it’s a new day at Eastside. We recognize that we can always do things better and always find a way to improve. We want to approach every day with that goal.
GM: What might surprise residents about Eastside today?
TL: I’ll use our ER as an example. In many ways, that’s the front door of our hospital. Our focus there is on getting care started as quickly as possible and right now, you’ll see a provider in 10 minutes or less on average. I think people would be impressed with the efficiency of our care, the high level of quality and the breadth of our services.
One thing many people don’t know is that Eastside is a part of HCA (Hospital Corporation of America). Outside of the VA, HCA is the biggest healthcare system in the world and delivers 5% of the nation’s healthcare. For patients, that means access to a large network of leading-edge care, best-practice protocols and thought-leaders in every specialty.
GM: What are some of the ways Eastside is involved in the community?
TL: We sponsor a number of local causes, including Relay for Life and the Run the Reagan, and have completed grassroots fundraising drives for both Make-A-Wish Georgia and March of Dimes. Members of our team are involved with Georgia Gwinnett College and Gwinnett Technical College to support healthcare education, and also participate actively in the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce. We are extremely involved in community events in Snellville, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Lilburn and Grayson, providing sponsorships and supporting volunteer efforts, and also partner with the JM Tull YMCA to support their community programs. We believe strongly in patient education and conduct free health screenings at public safety events and also sponsor a number of diabetes and cancer support groups.
GM: In terms of growth, what’s both new and coming soon at Eastside?
TL: We’ve opened three new Urgent Care Centers already this year: on Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, in Lilburn and in Centerville. This summer, we’ll open a new ER at our South Campus (on Highway 78), providing a new access point for patients. We expanded our obstetrics program and now have 24/7 on-site OB Hospitalists. We have a fully-renovated OB suite with a $4 million investment in our Women’s Center. There will also be an expansion of the specialty services offered in Loganville where our imaging center is located.
“Every day, we are focused on improving the patient experience. We are listening, growing and changing to meet the needs of our community.”
Trent Lind
CEO
Eastside Medical Center
“Eastside has a vision of improving patient care and proving continued employment satisfaction. We fully believe in the right people working in the right positions with the right processes and tools. This assures we always provide the highest level of care. Our group takes pride in their own work, as well as supporting each other and their community.”
Sharon Mitchell
Outpatient Imaging Manager
Eastside Breast Center
“I think the collaborative spirit is what sets Eastside apart. We place patient care first without exception. We know that we are stronger as a team than we could ever be as individuals… I can say with complete sincerity that every decision at Eastside is made with the intent to improve patient care and quality of life.”
Dr. Omar Jalil
Medical Director
Department of Hospital Medicine
“What’s so rewarding about working at Eastside is that I feel so close to my patients, co-workers and our community. I’ll take care of patients and their families one week and see them in Walmart the next! Quality of care comes first and Eastside has given me a renewed love of nursing and desire to do the very best I can for my patients.”
Elizabeth Long
RN
Eastside Joint & Spine Unit