The Revisiting PFAC Recruitment Methods worksheet helps the PFAC team identify opportunities to improve PFA recruitment processes.

Recruiting new types of PFAs often requires thinking beyond current recruitment methods and practices. Learnings from community engagement suggest the importance of the following recruitment strategies for improving representation:

• Be present and visible in the community. Identify opportunities to cultivate relationships and meet potential PFAs in their environments. Show up without a specific “ask” and take time to be present and available for community members. For example:
  • Attend cultural festivals, celebrations, and meetings to learn about community interests and priorities.
  • Participate in volunteer opportunities (e.g., cooking food at the Ronald McDonald House, distributing food at a food pantry); consider wearing shirts, buttons, or other visible signs to show affiliation with the PFAC program.
  • Contribute to or sponsor events in the community, like health screenings or other health and wellness events, car seat or infant supply distributions, and community service events.
  • Hold a "Meet the PFAC" event in the community. Partner with community organizations to introduce the PFAC and talk about how patients and families can contribute.
• Share information in digital and virtual spaces. Virtual spaces provide opportunities to post information that affects the community and reach people who may not engage in other ways. Hospitals can participate in virtual public community groups (e.g., social media groups and other digital spaces), fostering conversation and interaction. Be sure to work with community members to determine the most effective ways to participate and respect group norms for digital spaces.
• Develop relationships with partners and organizations that work with families from a variety of backgrounds. Identify and reach out to community organizations and groups who work with populations that are underrepresented on the PFAC. Examples include working with school nurses, social workers, Latino organizations, church and faith-based groups, and groups focused on specific medical conditions. Develop relationships that help foster trust and deeper connections to the community by ensuring that interactions are ongoing and mutually beneficial, as opposed to transactional. The initial step of outreach may be an invitation to learn more about community experiences with healthcare, rather than a direct request to join the PFAC. Identify ways that the hospital can support community groups, for example, by providing hospital education rooms for meetings or offering community service hours.
• Make PFA representativeness a shared goal of the institution. Clinicians and staff are essential recruitment partners. However, without specific guidance, they may make assumptions about who can serve as PFAs. Talk with clinicians and staff about goals for improving PFA representativeness. Connect with hospital departments, clinics, and groups to ask them for assistance with PFA recruitment and ideas for reaching groups that are underrepresented on the PFAC. Reach out to individuals who work closely with patients and families, e.g., child life specialists, social workers, and community health workers. Ask them to refer patients and families to help meet goals for improving representativeness.
• Make sure recruitment materials promote and reflect representativeness. Ask PFAs and community partners for feedback about current PFA recruitment materials. Discuss whether recruitment materials reflect the range of patients and families served and allow people to see themselves serving as PFAs. Discuss suggestions for changes to make sure materials are clear, welcoming, and use language that is easy to understand and relevant.

Example: Recruitment though Community Presence

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are advisory groups for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). CABs consist of people who use health center services and who work with staff and the Governing Board to improve care and services. Many CABs use community-based recruitment methods to identify potential members. For example, some CABs participate in community events to increase awareness of the CAB or hold specific “Meet the CAB” events to distribute promotional materials and information. CABs also have an active presence in the community at public events such as voter registration drives, health fairs, and community service events (e.g., community beautification days). Some CABs also partner with community service organizations, such as faith-based organizations and veteran’s programs, that work with populations at high risk of experiencing health inequities. Citation: Consumer Advisory Board Manual

Example: Partnering with Community Groups

A children's hospital based in a large city developed partnerships with the Department of Public Health, school district, community health clinic, and a local church. Together, these groups organize and jointly host events that benefit the community. For example, the groups hold a yearly back-to-school event to provide local families with resources, school supplies, and information about community health issues. The children's hospital provides backpacks filled with school supplies and offers dental screenings, haircuts for children, free sports equipment, and books. The hospital shares information about serving as a PFA at these events and works with partners on an ongoing basis to identify potential PFAs.

Example: Sharing Goals for Improving Representativeness

A Canadian hospital clearly states the goal of recruiting a diverse group of PFAs on its PFAC web page. In addition, the hospital provides a strong message of support, including a prominent note on the PFAC web page to let potential PFAs know that the hospital "can support participation with access to technology, education on using technology, and tips on how to share your experience. We can also explore ways to remove barriers to support your involvement."