Patient and Family
Advisory Council
At Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals, we partner with patients and their families to improve care and services. That's what our Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is all about. It's a place where patients and families can share their experiences and discuss ways to improve.
The PFAC is a group of both staff and volunteers. Our volunteers, who are current and former patients and families, collaborate with employees (clinical, administrative, and support) to provide guidance on how to improve the patient and family experience. In this forum, members:
- Share stories
- Discuss care issues
- Provide input on process and policy changes
- Review educational materials
- Hear about new programs and initiatives
- Identify patient/family needs and concerns
- Provide recommendations to improve quality, safety, and service
Membership
Patients and their family members who receive care at Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals are eligible to be members of the PFAC. The Council's voting membershipo is made up of at least 50% of patients/family members. Participants commit to attend monthly meetings and offer the patient and family perspective. To apply to be a Patient and Family Advisor, please download and complete the application. You can email it to us at Beverly_Addisonpfac@lahey.org.
Qualities that make a good advisor:
- Interested in improving health care
- Willing to share personal experiences in ways that others will listen and learn from
- Sees the "big picture" and not just a single issue
- Asks tough questions constructively
- Connects with people
- Prepresents the relevant experiences or conditions you are trying to improve
Selected Accomplishments:
- Produced a video on the Patient Experience that is shown to all employees in orientation
- Improved signage at Beverly Hospital and Lahey Outpatient Center at Danvers
- Participated in the renovation design of the Critical Care Unit waiting room
- Served on task forces for new processes (ED flow, Discharge, Observation status)
- Advisors service on several hospital committees
- Advisors speak twice a month at our organizational values and behaviors (CREATE) training program
To Learn More
For more information about the NHC Patient and Family Advisory Council, please contact the NHC Manager for Patient Centered Care, Eileen Laband at Beverly_Addisonpfac@lahey.org or at 978-922-3000, x3047.
