Donations support Family Advisory Board for Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital

Since 2012, the Family Advisory Board of Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital has focused on ensuring pediatric patients and their families come first and that they are treated with respect, compassion and the highest quality of care.

To help in this mission funds received through Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger have been used to make the advisory board’s ideas come to fruition.

The board, made up of 12 family members and 10 staff members, meets monthly and focuses on family-centered care, placing emphasis on partnerships between patients, families and health care professionals.

“Our mission is to contribute to the development and enhancement of patient and family-centered care at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and its clinics,” said Kelly Hammaker, Patient and Family Centered Care Coordinator.

The group has made recommendations and improvements that have directly impacted the patient and family experience. Improvements have been made in staff education on family issues and experiences, community advocacy, family networking and more.

The advisory board has also used families’ input in design and renovation plans at the children’s hospital, including the family lounge on Children’s 2 and the PICU expansion and family lounge renovations.

Resources also have been placed throughout the hospital from the recommendations of the board like phone charging stations placed in the family lounges and a caregiver closet full of hygiene products and clothing.

To help ensure that programs like the Family Advisory Board continue, make a donation Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger today online at Geisinger.org/cmn.

Photo caption: (Above) Families participate in a Dunkin Donuts Happy Hour event in the lobby of Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. The event allows families to network or interact with other families with children in the hospital and can be a good stress reliever for parents spending every minute with their child in the hospital.

(Below): Parents and caregivers take part in a special manicure program designed to relieve stress. Both the Dunkin Donuts Happy Hour and manicure programs were suggested and developed by the Family Advisory Board.