No visitors allowed: How health systems can better engage patients & families during a pandemic
Published April 29, 2021
The ravages of COVID -19 and the no visitor policies that accompany it have forged a tectonic shift in the patient and family experience. This hit home for me with a recent family member health event and hospitalization, leading me to think “we HAVE to do better!” Why should hospitals and health systems care about family involvement during COVID-19?
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
“Why should anyone want to make things better for me particularly?” – A qualitative exploration of Care Opinion and NHS care improvements
Published August 8, 2025
Care Opinion is an online platform which enables people to share anonymous feedback (known as “stories”) about their experiences of UK healthcare. In Scotland, this platform has official government backing, though healthcare organisations are not obliged to use it. Care Opinion staff review and edit these stories, acting as moderators. Healthcare staff are invited to
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
Turning Teen Volunteers into Healthcare Leaders
Published June 25, 2026
(This podcast is Part 1 of a content series on Teen/Youth Volunteer Programs.) What happens when hospitals stop treating teen volunteers as helpers and start empowering them as leaders? In this episode, Terri Ipsen sits down with Tracy Herrington and Tammy Rivera of CommonSpirit Health to explore an innovative teen volunteer program that develops leadership
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Infrastructure & Governance | Patient Family & Community Engagement
Building Representative PFACs: From Formation to Sustainment
Published May 12, 2026

This webinar focuses on best practices for developing, implementing, and sustaining Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) and Patient and Family Advisors (PFAs) that are diverse, representative, and meaningfully integrated into organizational safety work. Discussion will include governance structures, recruitment, inclusion, and strategies for ensuring PFACs influence decision-making rather than operating in isolation. Learning Objectives:
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