Patient & Family Advisory Council

To better understand the needs of our patients and their families, in 2013 St. Jude Medical Center invited former patients and family members of former patients to develop a Patient and Family Advisory Council.

Our mission for the Council is to actively engage patients and families as partners with St. Jude Medical Center, in support of our philosophy of Patient and Family Centered Care. The Council seeks to enhance the delivery of care by providing a collaborative vehicle of communication between families and hospital staff to improve the health care experience. The Council exemplifies our hopes for St. Jude Medical Centerl to continue to maintain and enhance the level of healthcare services our community has come to rely upon.

The goals of the Advisory Council are:

  • Provide a vital link between St. Jude Medical Center and the community
  • Provide supportive channels of communication between families and hospital staff
  • Provide input and feedback on delivery of services for patients and their families
  • Review issues referred to the Patient and Family Advisory Council and provide recommendations
  • Monitor, evaluate, and address needs and issues of multicultural families
  • Provide input regarding new and existing program development
  • Promote an environment offering excellent and safe health care through collaboration of families and staff.

The St. Jude Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) meets monthly and is currently involved with various interdisciplinary staff committees, including the Research Council and Shared Governance where new innovation, ideas and best practices are being shared. The PFAC has taken an active role in participation of new projects, staff education, and patient rounding. These contributions have led to improving the patient experience.

These are some of the projects the Council has been involved with providing input on and participating in: Magnet Designation, employee dress code, employee identification badges, brochure regarding educating patients with fall risks, insights on patient medication education and strategies, new technology (patient monitoring and virtual reality), discharge information, Emergency Department flow and new tower staff orientation.

As the role of our Patient and Family Advisory Council continues to expand and evolve, we are looking for new members to support St. Jude Medical Center’s endeavor to ensure we have patient and family perspectives and insights to enhance our delivery of quality and compassionate care to our patients and community. If you are interested in being considered as a member or would like more information regarding our Patient and Family Advisory Council, please contact Patient Relations at 714-992-3000 extension 3749.