Summit attendess at table

As an initial step in facilitating meaningful and authentic partnerships with patients and families to address the opioid epidemic, IPFCC and PFCCpartners collaborated to hold a Patient and Family Advisor (PFA) Summit on the Opioid Epidemic in June 2018. The PFA Summit is a format developed by PFCCpartners that creates a collaborative space where PFAs; national, state, and local partners; health care providers; researchers; and other stakeholders share and learn from each other. Leadership support for the PFA Summit was provided by Beaumont Health, an eight- hospital health system in Michigan committed to serving as a national exemplar for advancing the practice of patient- and family-centered care.

Nearly 80 participants attended the day-long, interactive PFA Summit, over half of whom were PFAs, as well as representatives from national, state, and local organizations and agencies that are addressing the opioid epidemic and have the ability to affect change.

Sorting sticky notesThe overarching goals of the PFA Summit were to increase participants’ understanding of the opioid epidemic, highlight programs and responses that reflect partnerships with patients and families, and strengthen skills for collaboration. The agenda for the PFA Summit included presentations about the current state and impact of the opioid epidemic along with discussions about patient- and family-centered, community, and policy responses.