SVMC Launches Patient and Family Advisory Council| 08:29AM / Wednesday, November 24, 2021 | |
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), is gathering members for a new council made up of patients and their families.
The new Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) aims to provide a forum for dialogue among patients, families, community members, and the health system as a way to ensure that the health system is meeting the needs of the community.
-
The group will be made up of 12 members of the community who have been patients at SVMC or who are a family member of a current or past patient at SVMC.
-
The group will meet every other month for an hour in the evening. Meetings will begin with a light dinner and chance to socialize before the business of the meeting begins.
-
The council will discuss patient safety, the quality of care, and patient comfort in the spirit of continual improvement.
"Our mission is to provide exceptional care and comfort to the people we serve,” said Paula Seaman, MSN, DA, RN, SVMC's administrative director of Quality, Safety, Value, and Education. "We hope that this new group will bring us closer to what patients and their families are really thinking and feeling about their experience with us and help us ensure that we are fulfilling that mission for every patient during every encounter.”
Additional volunteer opportunities—including relating with patients, joining regional advisory boards, and attending organizational meetings—may be extended to members of the council who are particularly suited for taking on a more expansive role.
Those interested in membership should e-mail theresa.demasi@svhealthcare.org. Once a full contingent of members have been identified, the PFAC will begin meeting, likely in the winter of 2021 – 22.
|
