The Opportunities for PFAs to Partner in Health Equity tool contains questions that hospitals can use to discuss opportunities to partner in health equity work with PFAs and identify ideas that align with PFAs’ interests and hospital priorities.

When health equity is an integral component of the PFAC’s work rather than an isolated or separate initiative, PFAs can help:

• identify inequities in healthcare access and quality;
• understand and address factors underlying inequities in care;
• develop policies, procedures, and practices that address the needs of all populations served by the hospital; and
• ensure that programs and services are equitable and culturally respectful.

This helps ensure that projects are meaningful and focus on issues where patients and families can help identify issues, develop solutions, and affect change. PFAs can contribute to work that supports and advances health equity in many ways. In addition to serving as members of health equity workgroups, task forces, and committees, PFAs can participate in short- or longer-term projects, activities, and initiatives.

Example: Partner on Social Determinants of Health Screening

A children's hospital with a strong culture of patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) works with PFAs to administer a social determinants of health (SDOH) screening questionnaire to families. As part of the program, specially trained PFAs contact families by phone before upcoming medical or therapy appointments. PFAs conduct calls in the family's preferred language to explain the purpose of the screening and identify potential needs related to housing, utilities, food insecurity, transportation, and education. PFAs reassure families that the questionnaire is confidential and that information will be shared with their provider solely to connect families with community resources. The completed questionnaire is saved in the patient's medical record for the provider to access during the appointment.

Example: Partner in Medical Education

PFAs at an academic medical center partnered with staff to develop a health equity case for medical education. Spanish-speaking moms on the PFAC provided input to inform the development of a case that reflected challenges they had personally experienced. The resulting case focused on an eight-year-old patient who was bilingual and accompanied by her mother, who spoke only Spanish. The case has helped medical students learn about real-life challenges and identify language access solutions that address the needs of patients, families, and the medical team.

Example: Partner in the Development of Patient Materials

To improve patient- and public-facing materials, the PFAC coordinator at a children’s hospital initiated an active partnership between the PFAC and the hospital’s Public Relations and Marketing team. PFAs now review most marketing and communication campaigns to ensure they resonate with patients and families and represent the full range of patients and families served by the hospital. As an example of how this partnership has contributed to changes, feedback from PFAs led the hospital to undertake a project to develop a more representative library of stock photos.

Example: Partner to Improve Language Accessibility

Patient Experience staff at a children's hospital received feedback during family rounding that family members who spoke languages other than English did not know about amenities available to them during their child's hospital stay (e.g., food or laundry services). Patient Experience staff reached out to the PFAC coordinator to better understand how to communicate with all families about available amenities and supports. The PFAC coordinator formed a workgroup of PFAs from a variety of backgrounds who helped develop unit-based guides to amenities that were translated into multiple languages by Language Access Services.

Example: Partner to Improve Responsiveness to Care Needs

Social workers at one hospital approached the PFAC for help providing comfort items for admitted patients and families. PFAs shared information about their experiences in the hospital and provided input for the development of culturally-responsive “care bundles,” which include a variety of hygiene items, including hair brushes and hair products for a variety of hair texture types.