family partners
helping us go above and beyond
Children and their families are at the heart of everything we do at Dayton Children’s. We recognize that families are experts in the care and understanding of their children, and that the voice of every family is important. When a family shares about their experiences in health care, we learn new ways to serve our families better.
Our family partner programs provide opportunities for families to join with us to promote family-centered care and improve safety, processes, and the patient and family experience.
who are family partners?
A family partner:
- Represents the diverse patient and family population we serve at Dayton Children's
- Is a parent, grandparent, or guardian (18 years old and older) whose child is or has been a patient at any Dayton Children's location in the past 12 months.
- Is passionate about advocating for their child and others' children
- Volunteers to share their stories, ideas and experiences to help us keep improving
- Is essential to helping Dayton Children's continue to go above and beyond!
"While being [a family partner], I have provided insight and shared our family’s experiences with a wonderful group of caregivers and professionals. I have been delighted to see the implementation of the council’s suggestions over the years...I love being part of the Patient Family Advisory Council and having the ability to advocate for families to improve the health care system." - Synthia C
what do family partners do?
The relentless pursuit of optimal health for every child within our reach is the reason for everything we do at Dayton Children's. One of the best ways for us to help our patients and families is by including your voices and input as we make decisions!
Family partners can provide feedback on hospital-wide topics through our e-advisory group, our patient and family advisory council, hospital committees (including safety initiatives and reviewing documents), and the parents encouraging parents mentoring program.
Family partners and patients have impacted all areas of Dayton Children's. Below are some examples:
- Free parking
- Increased and improved handicap parking
- Improved handicap accessible bathrooms
- Adult lift changing tables in bathrooms
- Baby changing stations in men's bathrooms
- G-tube decision pathway
- Input on "preparing for surgery" video
- Providing two complimentary meals per day to all inpatient rooms
- Design input on specialty care center
- Input on MyKidsChart improvements
- Improved IBD patient binder
- Ongoing input on wayfinding improvements
"In the past 9 years, we have spent a lot of time at Dayton Children’s. We have overwhelmingly had great experiences but when we have seen opportunities for improvement, we didn’t know how to effectively share that feedback to bring about change. Being part of the PFAC has allowed for us to use our experiences to improve Dayton Children’s for future patients/families." - Trisha R