Board members are advocates for empowering families and facilitating partnerships with health professionals
SLIDELL – The formation of the newly formed Family Advisory Board is the cornerstone of Ochsner Medical Center-North Shore’s commitment to patient and family centered care. The new board will ensure that families have a strong voice in decisions that affect patient care and family experiences, and seek to enhance the delivery of healthcare at Ochsner Medical Center-North Shore by providing an opportunity of collaboration between patient, family and the entire staff. The board’s vision is to continue the belief of Ochsner’s founding member, Dr. Alton Ochsner, that “In the hospital, the patient and the patient’s family come first.”
The Family Advisory Board’s makeup of 12 patients and family members and six employees―two of which are the facilitators of the board―was a strategic and important decision to the collaborative success of finding solutions to problems as well as understanding how the hospital works. “The board’s agenda is driven by the needs of our patients and families,” stated Cheryl Woods, Ochsner-North Shore Chief Nursing Officer. “We have a long history of engaging with our community to help guide Ochsner’s vision, planning and operations that impact delivery of patient care, and this is another way of continuing to improve upon our patient and family centered initiative.”
The Family Advisory Board meets monthly and has already made positive changes such as, changing the pediatric menu to include healthier choices for children on extended stay at the hospital. The group also identified how to provide more of a private room setting for new patients.
Family Advisory Board members are expected to uphold the same standards and requirements as Ochsner Medical Center-North Shore employees with regard to safeguarding confidential information. Please contact Kimberly Holmes at 985.646.5021 or kiholmes@ochsner.org if you are interested in learning more about Ochsner’s Family Advisory Board.
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Ochsner’s North Shore region includes health centers in Abita Springs, Covington, Hammond, Mandeville and Slidell, providing access to physicians in a range of specialties. Ochsner Medical Center – North Shore is a 165-bed, acute-care hospital in Slidell offering a range of inpatient and outpatient services. Ochsner North Shore is a part of Ochsner Health System, southeast Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system. For more information, please visit www.ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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