Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Family Partner Program

The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Family Partner Program gives Spectrum Health’s youngest patients and their families a voice in how we deliver care.

Focus

The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital PFPP works to:

  • Ensure positive, nurturing care for every child and family
  • Make care experiences as comfortable and worry-free as possible

Accomplishments

The program has:

Developed a photo guide to help parents identify care providers and their roles

Established “No Interruption Zones” in intensive care units so caregivers can conduct care without intrusions

  • Helped develop key questions for parents to use when communicating with physicians about parental presence during their child’s elective surgery
  • Helped improve communication with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care team and parents during the “Golden Hour” — the time from delivery to being placed in the NICU
  • Provided feedback on
    • Ways to help parents understand the training and processes that go in to being one of the safest children’s hospitals
    • Wording for the whiteboard pain-level chart in patient rooms
    • The direct admit process to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
    • Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s design and some of the services and amenities provided
  • Provided insight on the importance of including the family in bedside dialogue, making sure all questions are answered and encouraging communication
  • Provided patient and family perspective on the specialty outpatient facilities, welcome center and self-registration process
  • Reviewed safety and security measures
  • Shared parent and family perspectives with student nurses and pediatric resident physicians
  • Served as "mystery shoppers" to observe the effectiveness of teamwork at various sites throughout Spectrum Health
Members of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Family Partner Program

Learn More about Patient and Family Partner Programs