The 9th annual Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month campaign kicks off in October and emphasizes that when health care professionals, patients and family members courageously engage with each other as partners, health care interactions are more constructive, experiences are more positive and outcomes improve. The theme of this year’s campaign, organized annually by Planetree, Inc. is Health care’s Brave New World: Patient-Centered Care.
“In developing this theme for the 2015 campaign, we’re acknowledging that patient-centered care is not easy,” said Susan Frampton, President of Planetree, Inc. “And yet it is vital in this brave new world of health care. We know that the health care system’s ability to drive quality and value hinges on health care interactions that achieve mutual participation and partnership among the patient and the professional caregivers.”
“That’s where bravery comes in,” Frampton adds. “For patients, it may take courage to vocalize their own expertise about their health amidst a team of highly trained professionals. For professionals, it takes courage to open themselves up to getting to know their patients more personally in order to deliver more compassionate and individualized care. It also takes courage to acknowledge that clinical expertise alone is not enough to deliver quality care and yield optimal outcomes.”
CPH seeks to promote a rich exchange between all health care stakeholders about the profound impact of patient-centered care, and to encourage patients, family members, health care organizations, providers and communities to courageously engage to improve health care.
We invite the public to join us by “liking” the Central Peninsula Hospital Facebook page or going to our website to view “The CPH Humanity Project” and see our staff, physicians and volunteers in a new light. We also invite you to go to our website at www.cpgh.org and go to the Patient Tab and choose Printable Forms and print off “Questions to Ask Your Hospital or Doctor about Patient-Centered Care” and “How are You a #BravePatient?”
If you are dropping by the hospital come by our Health Resource Library, meet our Knowledge Navigator, Kathy East and check out patient engagement websites like, www.inspire.com or www.smartpatients.com to join patient communities that offer a wealth of information!
We celebrate this month with Heritage Place, our Continuing Care facility who will be honored at the International Planetree Conference in Boston, MA, as the first stand-alone Continuing Care facility in the United States to receive Planetree Patient-Centered Designation!
If you are a past patient or family member of a patient or resident, we encourage you to participate on our Patient/Resident Advisory Committee. For more information, contact co-chair, Kathy Gensel at 714-4626.
Sincerely,
Bonnie J. Nichols,
Director of Organizational Experience
Central Peninsula Hospital