Share Print

Patient and Family Advisory Council

In 2010, the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine established a patient and family advisory council (PFAC) to enhance the patient and family experience. The council provides a formal mechanism for involving patients and family members in decision-making about the care and services provided at Siteman’s main campus. The group consists of eight staff liaisons and 18 patients and family members representing a variety of ages, cultural backgrounds and cancer diagnoses.

The vision, mission and goals of the PFAC are as follows:

VISION

To dare to be a force for the advancement of the best patient and family-centered model of cancer care.

MISSION

To ensure that patient and family voices are an integral part of delivering the highest standard of safe, comprehensive and compassionate cancer care and services.

GOALS

To support and advise the Siteman Cancer Center in:

  • Protecting the patient’s dignity and recognizing and addressing the diversity of the patients and families we serve. • Promoting a patient and family-centered philosophy at the Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
  • Identifying patient and family education opportunities; reviewing drafts of education and marketing materials; and making recommendations for improvement of materials.
  • Creating a plan to disseminate information regarding resources, services and programs to potential and current patients and family members.
  • Improving the flow of information and sharing of knowledge among patients, families and the health-care team.
  • Motivating patients and family members to be active partners throughout the cancer journey.
  • Engaging physicians and other care providers in education about the patient and family-centered care model integration efforts.
  • Disseminating information about Siteman’s model and encouraging other cancer centers to develop a PFAC appropriate to their circumstances.
  • Recruiting PFAC members.

To learn more about becoming a patient or family member of the PFAC, please call 314-454-8013 or email sitemanpfac@bjc.org. Interested individuals should be willing to make a commitment to:

  • Meet monthly (two hours each meeting)
  • Work as a team and respect the opinions of others
  • Share experiences and provide honest feedback
  • Work on projects outside of monthly meetings
  • Work to improve the patient and family experience