In early February, Yvette Saba, BSN, MSN was announced as the new president of Edward Hospital. The nurse executive with over 30 years of experience and leadership in community hospitals took over for Joseph Dant, who was promoted to President of the South Region for NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health.
“Now I have a broader scope,” said Saba. “So it’s being patient with myself as I learn those nuances. But as Joseph (Dant) says, be curious, ask questions and you’ll learn.”
She joined Edward Hospital in 1991 and led several departments, including emergency, women and children’s, laboratory and occupational health services, and cardiovascular.
Saba most recently served as System Vice President of Operations for Edward-Elmhurst Health (EEH).
“I’ve been responsible for nearly every department within this organization,” said Saba. “I understand how this hospital works. I have established really solid relationships with other physicians and clinicians throughout the entire organization. So that is definitely an advantage coming into this role.”
Saba’s influences
From a young age, Saba felt a pull toward the medical field.
“Health care is actually part of my DNA,” said Saba. “My father was a physician, my mom was a nurse. And I knew I wanted to be in health care and be a clinician.”
Saba received her BSN from Saint Louis University, her MSN from Rush University, and her MBA from Loyola University Chicago.
She served as Loyola’s Administrative Director of CV Services.
“One day while I was sitting at my desk at Loyola, Pam Davis and (Mary) Lou Mastro called me and said, ‘Would you be interested in coming to Edward to build a heart hospital?’ And so I came to Edward as a project consultant,” said Saba. “Once the heart hospital was built, I moved into an administrative role.”
She’s thankful for the role models she had along the way.
“(Mary) Lou Mastro was a phenomenal mentor to meet,” said Saba. “What she taught me is surround yourself with really smart people, get out of their way, and they do the job and you will be successful.”
COVID’s impact on Edward
As life begins to return to normal after the pandemic, Saba acknowledged the challenges COVID-19 presented to Edward, and the impacts that linger.
“Since the pandemic, it has been a really big challenge for healthcare organizations to recruit and retain staff,” said Saba. “So anything we can do to make this organization a place where people want to come and have the passion for delivering care.”
Though grateful for the past experiences she’s had, she’s looking forward to taking on this new role as president.
“I miss being a nurse sometimes,” said Saba. “But I also feel like I’m making a bigger impact in an administrative role, touching more lives versus one-on-one.”
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