Marlborough Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council seeking community members

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UMass Memorial-Marlborough Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) members (l to r) Nueler Franco, Marlborough Hosptial employee and family member; Bill Fischer, PFAC co-chair, patient and Marlborough resident; Howard Ferris, patient and Marlborough resident; Estrela Paulino, Marlborough Hospital employee, family member and Hudson resident; Erika Wilkinson, patient, family member and Hudson resident; Irene Hadley, Marlborough Hospital employee; Dorothy Ahlman, Marlborough Hospital employee; Peter Brewster, patient and Hudson resident; John Kendall, patient, family member and Southborough resident; and Ellen C. Carlucci, Marlborough Hospital employee. (Photo/submitted)
UMass Memorial-Marlborough Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) members (l to r) Nueler Franco, Marlborough Hosptial employee and family member; Bill Fischer, PFAC co-chair, patient and Marlborough resident; Howard Ferris, patient and Marlborough resident; Estrela Paulino, Marlborough Hospital employee, family member and Hudson resident; Erika Wilkinson, patient, family member and Hudson resident; Irene Hadley, Marlborough Hospital employee; Dorothy Ahlman, Marlborough Hospital employee; Peter Brewster, patient and Hudson resident; John Kendall, patient, family member and Southborough resident; and Ellen C. Carlucci, Marlborough Hospital employee. (Photo/submitted)

Marlborough – UMass Memorial-Marlborough Hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is currently seeking community members who want to make a difference at their local community hospital.

The PFAC is an organized group of interested adult patients, family members, caregivers and healthcare providers who volunteer their time to serve on a committee to give feedback and suggestions geared toward improving the quality, patient safety and care experience at Marlborough Hospital. PFAC serves to provide a voice from the patient perspective and offer valuable input to senior management, hospital administration and clinical staff in an advisory capacity.

Among the projects the council has taken on and accomplished are creating a children’s area in the Emergency Department and improving navigation and signage throughout the hospital which includes a lobby directory to be installed this month as well as revised hospital visitor maps and directions.

“I see PFAC as an opportunity to give back to the community and an institution that has done so much for my personal health,” said Bill Fischer, PFAC co-chair and longtime patient of Marlborough Hospital. “It also provides the opportunity to identify and improve patient experience, which means anything and everything a patient comes in contact with from the time they step foot in the hospital to when they leave. As far as I’m concerned, having the PFAC improve anything within the hospital walls is fair game.”

Patients and family members of patients that have received care at Marlborough Hospital as well as Marlborough Hospital staff are eligible for PFAC membership. Meetings are held once a month for two hours in the evening during the week. A variety of projects are currently being reviewed for this year’s docket, so there is still time to join the conversation and be a part of  creating meaningful change for patients and families at the hospital.

“In the community, people know that we have good doctors and provide good care,” noted Estrela Paulino, a 27-year Hudson resident, a 10-year Marlborough Hospital employee, and a PFAC member since 2014. “Our patients think Marlborough Hospital is welcoming, convenient, and a place where everyone knows everyone, where you’re a name not a number. That is wonderful and PFAC can help us do even more for our patients.”

To learn more about PFAC or to apply for membership, contact Ellen C. Carlucci at 508-486-5807 or Bill Fischer at [email protected].

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