KCH FAC MEMBERS 2019
The NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital Family Advisory Council, established in 2007, is a diverse group of parents, caregivers, and hospital staff devoted to making the hospital a better place for children and their families and caregivers. We collaborate with hospital leadership, staff, and administration to promote the safest and highest quality medical care in the most family-friendly and child-centered environment possible. This approach is known as patient- and family-centered care, which is based on the key principles of dignity and respect, information sharing, participation, and collaboration.
We believe the family is a child’s primary source of strength and support and a family’s perspective is invaluable to clinical decision-making. By participating in the Family Advisory Council, parents and caregivers directly impact and influence the policies, programs, practices, and facility design that affect the care and services of children, their families and caregivers.
The Family Advisory Council’s vision is to promote an environment where parent, caregiver, and family involvement in a child’s care is encouraged and welcomed by all. We accomplish this by:
- Working to enhance the delivery of patient- and family-centered care by serving on various hospital committees. This allows us to provide a parent’s perspective and develop helpful patient- and family-centered programs in collaboration with hospital staff.
- Promoting communication and encouraging collaboration between families and hospital staff through co-education and the development of safety initiatives.
- Working to make a child’s stay at the hospital as comfortable and pleasant as possible through the improvement of patient and family services.
- Providing families with the information, guidance, and resources they need to care for their children in and out of the hospital. Two examples are the Simulation-based Discharge Program and Parent-to-Parent Mentoring Program.
- Helping to empower patients and families through various diversity initiatives as to their important roles in patient care and safety.
Earlier today our son was discharged after a 4+ week stay in the NYP-Komansky Children's Hospital NICU. We want to share our thanks for your support during our son's hospital stay, including the holiday-time gifts for our family and presence of the FAC at some of the support meetings. Thank you and happy new year. -Feedback from a NICU Family
The Family Advisory Council is constantly finding new and innovative ways to involve patients, families, and caregivers directly in hospital care. Our work continues to evolve and our council has grown from only five individuals to now over 30 members and more than a dozen hospital staff. Hospital staff participation spans NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and departmental leadership teams, physicians, nurses, social workers, and child life specialists.
Our work has been highlighted at several international conferences and our programs have been nationally recognized and awarded for partnering with hospital staff, promoting patient- and family-centered care, and enhancing the patient experience. See a list of notable achievements.
We strive to represent the diverse voices of our patients and families because every person counts and every voice counts.
KCH FAC HOLIDAY GIFT BAG DISTRIBUTION 2021