FROM EXPERIENCE / ROUNDS 2 | Families need families Swords helped initiate a mentoring program for parents whose children are fighting chronic illnesses. Starting with 10 mentors, families were matched and encouraged to connect on the phone. Later, the group created the first online parent-mentor matching website. The site streamlines the matching process by allowing parents to search by condition or specialty to find bios of families with similar experiences. Parents can then initiate contact through the site. 3 | They bring a new view Akron Children's PAC has helped staff better understand the parent's perspective by directly identifying concerns. For example, PAC members identified a hospital entrance that was difficult to navigate with a wheelchair. Akron Children's head of engineering simulated the process with a PAC advisor's wheelchair-bound daughter. Witnessing this difficult process firsthand led the hospital to improve handicap-accessible doors facility-wide. 4 | Parents want to help Parent advisors serve on 26 hospital committees, including board-level ones, to influence initiatives. PAC members are volunteers who are invested in the program and serve as the hospital's biggest fans. Embedding parent advisors in various committees makes certain their voices are heard at all levels of the hospital. Less Germs. More Smiles. 5 | The future is bright The PAC model has expanded to support work to improve care. Ohio's pediatric hospitals collaborate through the Ohio Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety network. Including parents has enabled councils to learn from each other. This effort has expanded nationally and includes more than 90 children's hospitals and their PACs. It's refreshing to know an idea from one parent had such a big effect on Akron Children's. Swords' inspiration drives the hospital to continually gain input from its biggest advocates-parents. Judy Doyle is parent advisor coordinator at Akron Children's Hospital. Tell your hospital's story. Email magazine @childrenshospitals.org. Tru-D SmartUVC uses chemicalfree, environmentally-friendly UVC energy to eradicate harmful germs such as norovirus, the flu and MRSA, among many others, in children's hospitals all over the country. See how Tru-D can reduce germs and increase smiles at tru-d.com/childrens. TRU-D.COM * (800) 774-5799 CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL S TODAY Spring 2017 13http://www.tru-d.com/childrens http://www.TRU-D.COM