For the last several years, LA Health Services has been at the forefront of efforts to actively engage patients and family members as partners in helping to continuously improve the care and services we provide. On May 2, a cohort of LA Health Services’ Patient Family Engagement (PFE) Champions attended the 2023 Patient Family Centered Care (PFCC) Conference – Accelerating Humanity in Health Care at the California Endowment Center. The conference was presented by PFCCpartners and provided an opportunity for PFE champions across the country to discuss how to better improve environments where patients, families, clinicians, and hospital staff work together as partners to improve the quality and safety of health care. LA Health Services’ patient family advisor community consists of Patient Family Advisory Councils (PFAC) from across the health system and the Patient Family Partnership Hub. Presenting at the conference were Leslie Martinez and Claudia Mata from Los Angeles General Medical Center, alongside their Patient Family Advisors. They shared, to a packed room audience, their wins and how they overcame challenges in starting up and sustaining their PFAC through the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they continue to learn from their patient family advisors’ lived experience to shape their work. “The human connection and energy that so obviously propelled everyone at the PFCC conference to provide a voice and platform for patients, their loved ones and the community was invigorating. I couldn’t take notes fast enough. So many innovative idea sharing sessions!” said Leslie Martinez.

In attendance were several monolingual Spanish Patient Family Advisors who were provided with an interpreter from LA Health Services to help them fully participate in the conference. LA Health Services’ Miguel Renteria was part of the opening keynote panel alongside Libby Hoy, Founder and CEO of PFCCpartners and Kim Werkmeister, Senior Vice President Cynosure Health in which they discussed Accelerating Humanity in Health Care.  “The partnership PFCCpartners enjoys with [[LA Health Services]] is rooted in trust and built on integrity. With trust and integrity as the cornerstones of partnership, the sky is the limit to the innovative strategies, we’ve been able to implement to ensure patient family engagement as an active strategy for improving health outcomes for communities across Los Angeles County. PFCCpartners has abundant gratitude for the system leaders and the frontline staff that serve the people of Los Angeles County who share our vision of improving care through partnerships with the people who are receiving care,” said Libby Hoy.

Dr. Pearl Portugal, an LA General Medical Center Patient Family Advisor noted being, “truly grateful, for the opportunity of having participated in a forum, which aims at redefining healthcare to one that is truly patient-centered. Your renewed emphasis on patient empowerment and family participation, enriched with empathy and sensitivity, was refreshing. Appreciate you all. Congratulations for this successful PFCC Conference.”