Hospital welcomes three new Patient and Family Advisors
Northumberland Hills Hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is growing. Following the latest open call for interest, three individuals accepted program opportunities aligned with their experience and interest and will begin their involvement with the Council this month.
Joining the Council are:
- Lisa van der Vinne (Cobourg) – Surgical Services;
- Barry McMahon (Port Hope) – Intensive Care Unit; and
- Alexis Smith (Colborne) – Baby Friendly Initiative/Maternal and Child Care.
Formed at NHH in December 2016, the Council has expanded steadily. Patient and Family Advisors are now active at NHH in three ways: as equal partners on all NHH's core program Quality and Practice Committees; on departmental assignments; and on special projects that are both corporate and PFAC-driven.
Guided in their work by a co-designed vision and purpose, NHH PFAC volunteers are a key part of decision making throughout the hospital, working with front-line staff, managers, physicians and the Board to continuously improve the experience of individuals who receive care at NHH, and their families.
With recent NHH experience ranging from surgical services to maternal/child care and caregiver support, the three newest PFAC volunteers are all looking forward to becoming more directly involved with staff, physicians and other patients and caregivers to continuously enhance the patient and family experience at NHH.
Asked what motivated him to apply for the Council, Barry McMahon stated simply: “I believe in volunteering.” Having recently given birth at NHH, Alexis Smith wants to lend her experience to further enhance breastfeeding supports and services for new moms like herself, while Lisa van der Vinne hopes to use her surgical services experience to give back to the program and professionals who supported her and, by extension, the community.
“The PFAC is one way we are partnering with patients and caregivers to continuously enhance the quality of care we can provide,” said Linda Davis, NHH President and CEO. “We’re very grateful to the generous volunteers who have stepped forward to share their experience and their wisdom in this capacity.”
For more information on the Council please see the Terms of Reference and Role Description located on the Patient and Family Advisory Council Page under the Patients tab of the hospital website here: https://nhh.ca/AboutNHH/Accountability/patient-and-family-advisory-council.
While calls for interest are issued when opportunities arise, expressions of interest may be submitted at any time. The Expression of Interest form will be found on the page linked above, together with biographies of all the Council volunteers.