Greetings ,

Our January issue is a resource that will inform and educate patients, families, and healthcare professionals.

We look forward to welcoming you to our next Informal Conversation on January 20th 12pm ET, Reflecting Our Community: A Toolkit for Strengthening PFACs.

Kind regards,

The IPFCC Team

Upcoming Informal Conversation

January 20^th, 12-1pm ET

Reflecting Our Community: A Toolkit for Strengthening PFACs

This conversation will highlight the collective effort of two learning communities made up of 26 children's hospitals across North America working to embed true representation and health equity into Patient and Family Advisory Councils. This work builds on five years of research and collaboration across the children’s hospital community. The IPFCC team will also use this time to introduce the Toolkit used to guide the efforts of the learning communities. Learn about taking action to ensure every community voice is heard.

Thank you to our PFCC.Connect Sponsors!

IPFCC at Work

IPFCC 2025 Highlights

Awards

Children’s Mercy Receives the Compass Honor Award

Children's Mercy was awarded the Compass Honor award. Sponsored by the Statewide Patient and Family Advisory Council of the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA), the Compass Honor recognizes a Missouri hospital for outstanding efforts in effectively partnering with their PFAC. Through public recognition annually, this honor encourages and inspires hospitals to adopt practices, learn collectively, and improve their PFACs. The "compass" in Compass Honor emphasizes that each direction we turn, we find partners in care:

- North symbolizes patients as our true North

- South symbolizes caregivers and family

- East symbolizes healthcare providers

- West symbolizes support staff

Access more information about the award. 

Resources and Opportunities

Family-Led Academic Grand Rounds

Family-Led Academic Grand Rounds are held quarterly each year and are a collaboration between University of Wisconsin’s Waisman Center, the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Public Health, and the Bluebird Way Foundation. They are led and presented by families who serve as family educators and faculty. Families present their case and then provide strategies to develop knowledge, skills and abilities to perform, or partner in the essential activities of care of children with disabilities and/or medical complexity. In 2025, they held five sessions. If you are interested in registering for these Grand Rounds this coming year or accessing the recordings, learn more here.

Engagement-Capable Environments (ECE) E-Learning Series

This is a free four module self-directed learning series hosted by Healthcare Excellence Canada to help patient partners, staff, and leaders create and grow engagement-capable environments. Each module can be completed independently and, in any order, though it is recommended to follow the sequence presented for the best learning experience.

Access the series here. 

Multisector Plan for Aging Toolkit

The Center for Health Care Strategies published the "Multisector Plan for Aging Toolkit (MPA)" in January 2026. The MPA Toolkit is designed to support states and their partners as they develop, implement, and refresh their MPA. The toolkit offers practical guidance, concrete strategies, and real-world examples drawn from states that are actively engaged in this work. The six Toolkit modules are presented as a sequence so that states can use them individually based on where they are in the MPA process. Access the Toolkit here. 

CAHPS® 2025 Research Meeting: Strengthening Partnerships with Patients and Families

In September 2025, AHRQ Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) program hosted a virtual research meeting that focused on the integral role of patients and families in the development and implementation of care experience assessments and quality improvement strategies. Best practices were shared. Videos and a summary of the meetings are available here.

2026 IPFCC PINWHEEL SPONSORSHIP – Renew, Upgrade, or Join Now! 

We invite you to renew, upgrade, or join as a Pinwheel Sponsor today by completing the online Pinwheel Sponsor Application. If you need more information, please contact Liz Hansen ehansen@ipfcc.org.

Pinwheel staff and PFAs will receive complimentary registration for our quarterly Pinwheel Sponsor Leadership Forum, an informal discussion among these leaders about current challenges, successes, and related strategies.

Thank You to Our 2026 Pinwheel Sponsors!

PFCC.Connect

University Health

Kaiser Permanente

Health System

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Hospital/Organization

Akron Children’s Hospital

Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Children's Specialized Hospital

IWK Health

MHA Keystone Center

University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital

Wellstar MCG