The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers serves individuals and families from a multitude of racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse populations. In healthcare, a compelling need for cultural competency exists. Many cultural influences on beliefs and practices relate to healthcare services and must be recognized to meet our driving value of patients and families first.
Mott Hospital Administration has recognized the invaluable contribution that patient and family members can make and has supported its mission by becoming a national leader in the effort to promote patient and family centered care (PFCC) throughout the institution by establishing a Family Centered Care (FCC) Committee and creating a new, full-time Parent Coordinator position; a position requiring prolonged experience as a parent of an ill child within Mott Children's Hospital.
The FCC Committee is committed to achieving a patient-family-staff collaborative model of care, respecting the individual needs of each patient and family. As the committee evolved, the need for a full-time Parent Coordinator became evident. The essential roles of the Parent Coordinator are to: provide leadership and support from a parent's perspective in the education and programmatic activities that promote and implement PFCC at Mott Hospital, and to formally coordinate ways in which patients and family members from diverse populations can contribute to the mission, values, and quality of care received.
More specifically, the Parent Coordinator is responsible for 1) supporting patient and families from an "I've been there" standpoint, 2) creating an extensive Family Faculty to share personal experiences with staff and students, 3) assessing and categorizing patient and family interests so they can effectively serve as volunteer consultants for workgroups and projects, and 4) developing, recruiting and sustaining a Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC).
The PFAC seeks to improve care, communication, policies and programs, staff and student development, and public image through parterships with patients and families. Council membership supports cultural competency through members that have a varied clinical experience, represent the diversity of the patient population served at Mott, and respect the diversity and perspectives of other members.
The Parent Coordinator and the PFAC are shining examples of Mott Hospital's effort to promote and incorporate cultural competency.
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