Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) is the only pediatric hospital in New Hampshire. It is located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. Based on data regarding the transmission rate of the virus, Dartmouth-Hitchcock made the decision to revise their visitation policy. Family members were no longer permitted in the hospital with the exception of the neonatal intensive care nursery (ICN), Birthing Pavilion, and for patients receiving end-of-life care. The CHaD ICN Parent Council has been actively engaged in helping respond to the changes. Read more
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Children’s Mercy Kansas City is a comprehensive pediatric medical center, serving patients from birth to age 21, across two hospital campuses and multiple satellite clinics across Missouri and Kansas. In response to the pandemic, Children’s Mercy convened a small taskforce comprised of an infectious disease physician; a Patient and Family Engagement (PFE) Program Manager (who started out as a parent advisor and was hired as a “parent on staff” in 2008); and the senior directors for Inpatient Med/Surg, Ambulatory, and Perioperative Nursing. The PFE team is very engaged in ongoing planning and continues to spearhead communication related to COVID-19. Read more
Children’s National Hospital
Children’s National Hospital is the only health system in the Washington, D.C. metro area (including MD and VA) specializing in pediatrics. In response to COVID-19, the Executive Committee (including four parents) of the hospital-wide PFAC now meets 1-2 times per week and has reviewed language for the website, signage, and scripts for staff to use when talking to parents about changes in policy. They also discuss how PFAC can continue to be a resource to patients, families and staff during these unprecedented times. Read more
Christ Hospital Family Medicine Center
In 2018, the Christ Hospital Family Medicine Center in Cincinnati, OH established their first PFAC. Keesha Goodnow is the Coordinator and Co-Facilitator of the PFAC and assisted with the expansion of PFACs at a Federally Qualified Health Center in three sites. In the midst of COVID-19, they are partnering virtually with their PFACs to help in several areas including communicating with patients, educating patients, and distributing information about resources throughout their communities. Keesha recently wrote an article, Three Reasons to Prioritize Your Patient and Family Advisory Council During the Coronavirus Pandemic in Physician Practice outlining their collaborative efforts. Learn more about their PFACs
Golisano Children’s Hospital
Golisano Children’s Hospital is part of the UR Medicine health system in Upstate New York. The Hospital’s Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Program delivers inpatient, partial hospital, and outpatient mental health services for infants, children, and adolescents, and their families in the entire Finger Lakes region of New York State. A multidisciplinary team of providers treats patients with depression, anxiety, psychosis, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other behavioral and emotional conditions. With the advent of COVID-19, the Program worked very hard to ensure that outpatient behavioral health services were never closed. Read more
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) is a unique community hospital (a sub-acute facility) offering services in Mental Health & Addictions; Rehabilitative Care; Complex Medical and Palliative Care; and Children and Youth Mental Health in Windsor, Ontario. The hospital transitioned from Pandemic Planning to instituting an Incident Management Response Team for COVID-19. It involved patient and family advisors—the PFAC Chair and the patient advisor who sits on the Governing Board and consulted with their ethicist. The PFAs assisted in planning a "No visitor" policy (with the exception for patients who are at end of life) and developing a letter and FAQ sheet given to every inpatient. Read more
Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM)
Across JHM’s six hospitals, Home Care Group, and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians practices, there are more than twenty active PFACs with over 500 members. During COVID-19, the majority of the PFACs have continued their monthly meetings, using virtual tools. Among other projects, PFACs have reviewed COVID-19 website content and some members have served as “test family members” to prepare medical students for conversations with family members who have a loved one in intensive care. PFACs will continue to provide advice as JHM opens up elective surgeries and outpatient appointments. Read more
Michigan Medicine
Michigan Medicine, formerly the University of Michigan Health System, is one of the largest hospitals in Michigan and a premier academic medical center. With over 37 Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) and 1700 patient and family advisors (PFAs), there is a strong commitment to partnership with those served by the organization. When COVID initially disrupted the face-to-face ways PFAs provided input about policies, programs, and services, the e-advisor program facilitated ongoing communication about the rapidly changing environment and provided a mechanism to solicit immediate input from them as key stakeholders. Read more
Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils
Founded in 1981 by a group of residents living in long-term care (LTC) homes in the province of Ontario, Canada, the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC) provides a network to strengthen and elevate the voices of LTC residents through their respective Residents’ Councils. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care, OARC’s work is guided by a Board of Directors comprised of LTC resident leaders, who generously lend their lived experience and expertise. Read more
Perham Living
In rural Minnesota, Perham Living provides care across the continuum — transitional care, home care, assisted living services, apartment living, and a nursing home community. It is owned by the Perham Hospital District. Since the CEO of Perham Health reached out to the community to help plan a new facility and care model for Perham Living more than a decade ago, its leaders have partnered with the community, residents, and families. The core concepts of PFCC are foundational to Perham’s culture, guiding decision-making at all levels. Read more
Seattle Children’s
Seattle Children’s has been providing care for children for over 100 years. The organization has more than 60 pediatric subspecialties, 10 regional clinics, and 22 outreach sites and clinics, providing inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, surgical, rehabilitative, behavioral, emergency and outreach services to patients in in the greater Seattle area as well as Washington state, Montana, Alaska and Idaho. Their Psychiatry Family Advisory Board (PFAB) supports all psychiatric services at Seattle Children’s: Inpatient, Ambulatory Programs, and the Psych Emergency Department. The PFAB has grown significantly in the last three years and now has 16 parent members and has been active during the pandemic. Read more