Barbara Eklund – Horn is a nurse navigator in the Jeffery M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute and has worked at Hoag for 28 years. She received her RN from Rio Hondo Jr. College at the age of 20 years old and went on to complete her BSN at California State Fullerton. After working at Hoag for many years she completed her MSN at West Coast University. She started out as a nurse in the critical care units at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital in the early 1980’s and was fortunate enough to get an Internship with cardiac rehab at Hoag Hospital while she was working on her Bachelor’s Degree. She was a discharge planner at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital the last year of her employment there which gave her great perspective on patients transitioning from hospital to home.

In 1986, Barbara was hired as a cardiac rehab nurse at Hoag Hospital, teaching and working with post-operative cardiac surgical patients. In 1990, she became the Cardiac Transplant Coordinator for Hoag’s cardiac surgery team and enjoyed working with both patients and their families before and after heart transplant surgery. She was also involved in one of the only transplant support groups in Orange County for the next 10 years. At one point, Barbara consulted on a heart transplant story line with the staff writers for General Hospital and appeared in one of the episodes as a nurse.

Barbara worked with the congestive heart failure patients throughout the 1990’s and in 1999 opened the first Coumadin Clinic at Hoag Hospital.

In 2002, Barbara was selected as the Valve Clinic Coordinator for the Heart Valve Clinic, to follow patients on a long term basis following valve surgery. Barbara is presently enjoying her work as a Nurse Navigator at the Jeffery M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute where she works with pre- and post-operative patients in the valve and aortic clinics.