Danielle Gathje Makes a People Impact

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When Danielle Gathje joined Fairview Health Services in 2019 as director of plant operations, she managed facility operations at three acute care hospitals and their related structures. As someone who had dreamed of being on the patient care side of hospitals, it was an opportunity to create vital spaces for others to deliver care.

Three years later, she stepped into her current role as vice president of hospital operations, which has come with more oversight and responsibility. But just as Gathje has evolved as a leader, so has the Minnesota-based nonprofit health system. It has expanded, improved patient flows, and transformed an existing campus in downtown St. Paul.

In this chapter of Fairview’s journey, Gathje is excited to continue serving patients and her colleagues in more ways than one. 

“It’s our responsibility as leaders to focus on how we provide great quality and patient care efficiently, but it is also our responsibility to take care of our people, which includes our staff and our teams that do great work every day,” she says. “I appreciate the opportunity to make a people impact throughout my career. Some of that is through physical space, some is through leadership direction, and some is by changing the way we think about operations.”

She continues: “If we take care of our staff in the best way and give them the right resources and tools to take care of our patients in the best way, we can see dramatic results.”

That’s what she and her colleagues have seen with the implementation of a short-stay and observation unit at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood. Like many hospitals around the country, St. John’s had been facing an increase of patients seeking care and a decrease in the ability to discharge them at appropriate levels. That challenge has been reflected in a 5 percent rise in inpatient visits and a 12 percent rise in emergency department (ED) visits since 2022, according to a Fairview news release.

“I appreciate the opportunity to make a people impact throughout my career. Some of that is through physical space, some is through leadership direction, and some is by changing the way we think about operations.”

Danielle Gathje

To ease the strain on ED employees, Gathje’s team partnered with construction firm Boldt Company and design firm HGA to create a 16-bed observation unit built to over 90 percent completion offsite in Appleton, Wisconsin. After it was built, it was transported and installed on the St. John’s campus. The idea was to quickly develop the space the hospital needed to accommodate escalating patient visits without impeding current operations.

The units are built with a focus on comfort, mobility, and flexible care capabilities that are conducive to recovery and observation, the new release states. They’ve made patient flow more flexible, which allows staff to optimize hospital resources, reduce wait times, and ensure access to necessary medical interventions.

“We’ve been seeing a 10 percent reduction in length of stay. Anytime we can reduce length of stay, typically we get better-quality outcomes and less risk for people to have any kind of hospital-acquired illness or injury,” Gathje says. “Our staff are able to effectively take care of patients by utilizing a cohort model for appropriate patients with a team-based care model. With this approach, we work to provide our patients with the best outcome.”

As a leader, Gathje takes pride in showing up to work as her authentic self. She also values work-life balance.

“I’m the mother of an 11- and 12-year-old. My kids are in full chauffer mode, which means they are doing every sport under the sun,” she says. “That balance can be hard, but it helps me remember what’s important, which also helps me understand my team. We all have things we show up to work with. Ultimately, I’ve always loved how we can impact people by thinking about that. The fact of the matter is, we can get through pretty much anything as long as we have the right teams in place and as long as you connect with people every day to make a difference.”

She is also passionate about volunteering.

“I can’t do everything, but there are certain things I can do to make a difference. I believe it takes us as individuals to do just one thing, because you never know what that ripple effect will be,” she says.

Gathje serves on the Gala Committee of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for those conditions. She has also long been part of the local and national advisory board for the American Society for Healthcare Engineers. She says she wouldn’t have landed in her current career if it wasn’t for the support of that organization.

“It gave me an opportunity to discover the work I am passionate about, network, and collaborate with others to understand their expertise and perspective,” she shares. “I’ve met a lot of people along the way that I’ve learned from and that have helped me develop as a leader.”

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