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. 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.