Patient and Family Advisory Council at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center is committed to creating the best experience possible for our patients and families. One of the key components to being successful in this endeavor is to ensure that we always keep the patient and family voice at the forefront of our decision making processes. Your constructive input on patient services will help us to provide better care to our patients.
Members of this advisory council will discuss critical operational decisions related to how we can provide care in the most compassionate and empathetic manner, while ensuring that we are employing the best safety and care techniques.
To ensure that we are in full compliance with all federal and state regulations, we ask that our advisors complete the full volunteer application and approval process. We will work with you to make this as easy as possible. To begin this process, complete the application form below. Once we review the applications, someone from the hospital will be in touch with you to speak with you further regarding your interest. Because we want to ensure that we have an advisory council with a diverse experience base, we will interview all interested parties to determine the individuals whose experiences best fit for the needs of the council.
Thank you for your interest in making this the best hospital for our community. We appreciate your time and commitment and will be in touch with you soon about the status of your application. If you have questions, please contact the Department of Patient Experience at 410-740-7704.
How to Apply
Send a completed application to:
Department of Patient Experience
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
5755 Cedar Lane
Columbia, MD 21044
Patient Advisor Role and Responsibilities
Patients and their families are knowledgeable members of the care team and can offer unique perspectives and valuable feedback about their experience at a hospital. Learn more about what it’s like serving on a PFAC.
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- Promote respectful, effective partnerships between patients, families, and clinicians.
- Increase understanding and cooperation between patients, families, and staff.
- Transform the culture towards patient- and family-centered care.
- Improve quality, patient safety, and patient health outcomes.
- Establish a link between the hospital and the community at large.
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- Share healthcare experience with doctors, staff and other PFAC members.
- Participate in group discussions to talk about ideas for how our healthcare organizations can improve care, quality, safety, and services.
- Provide insight from the patient and family perspective about policies, care practices, and patient education materials.
- Identify patient and family needs and concerns.
- Serve on subcommittees and workgroups to help bring the patient and family perspective to these efforts.
- Encourage and support patient-centered care across the institution.
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The philosophy of patient- and family-centered care focuses on:
- Respect for patients' values, preferences, and needs.
- Coordination of care for more efficiency.
- Comfort and emotional support for mental health.
- Information, communication, and education.
- Involvement of family and friends.