Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2019

By Stacie Jones In 2017, Jenny Gray spent a fair amount of time in the hospital. In January of that year, while pregnant with her first child, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. The devastating news was followed by a leg amputation, a high-risk labor and delivery, and seven and a half months of high-dose chemotherapy, including 48 days of inpatient chemotherapy. It was a challenging year, but she emerged from those long days in hospital beds cancer-free and mother to a healthy son. Today, she’s sharing her firsthand knowledge about the patient experience to help make a difference. Straight fromthe source Jenny is one of 12 former patients and family members of former patients who make up the Kootenai Health Patient Family Advisory Council. The group of volunteers draw on their Use your voice Interested in joining the council? Council members must be community members who have been patients or have had family members who have been patients. To learn more and apply, go to KH.org/ volunteer . The Patient Family Advisory Council at Kootenai Health has been a major influence in improving the patient experience. From left to right: Joan Rolland, J.T. Thompson, Dee Janson, Jenny Gray, Julie Levine, George Rohlinger, Dale Rogers. (Not pictured: Bill Watt, Linda Fournier, Lynn Lauer.) The Patient Perspective Advisory Council’s insight helps improve services personal experiences to advise staff and providers on ways to improve processes, services and the overall patient experience. “We saw this council as a great way to connect with our community and to make sure the voice of the patient is included in our decision making,” said Charlie Linder, Guest Services manager and council co-chair. “After all, who better to give us guidance and insight than the people who are actually receiving the care?” The council has been making a positive impact since it formed in 2015. For example, it helped steer the development of new patient education materials and a welcome video. They’ve also offered input on critical issues such as infection prevention and opioid prescription misuse. For Jenny, the council is a chance to turn a difficult life event into something good. “I’m trying to take this hand I was dealt and make something good come from it,” she said. “If my feedback on this council can help make a difference for anyone else, that would be phenomenal.” KH . ORG 13