Patient & Family Advisory Council

Members of the PFAC are patients and family members who are at least 18 years of age. Our staff Patient Experience Specialist, Performance Improvement Directors, and Population Outreach Coordinator also are part of the committee, as are two other staff members, including clinical staff, who are passionate about creating excellent patient experiences. Each community member has a term of 3 years, which can be renewed by a vote of the Council. Total membership can vary from 12-20.

No previous volunteer experience is required to serve on the Community Hospital PFAC, but passion about quality and community is a must! You must be a good listener, share your opinions respectfully, and work well with others. Members also will be subject to a background screening and confidentiality agreement, and must provide information on influenza vaccination status but may participate without being vaccinated, as long as they wear a mask at meetings during peak flu season.

We want residents of the communities in the regional Community Hospital service area who truly care about high quality and service and have a desire to work with others to foster constant improvement at Community Hospital. We want both patients and family members who have had negative experiences at the hospital and ones who have had positive ones. But please don’t apply to serve on the committee if you just want to complain without being a part of the solution.

Meetings are from 6-8 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, excluding the months of July and December. Meeting times can be changed by consensus of the Council. Supper is provided at each meeting.

That depends on what YOU think is needed. The Patient & Family Advisory Council will do some storytelling about their experiences with the hospital and help determine what is most important to patients when it comes to having the best possible experiences every time. The Council will review hospital practices, policies, and education materials, identify strengths and weakness, and make recommendations for amendments/changes to improve the planning, delivery, and evaluation of care and services. The Council will hear from hospital leadership/staff for education about the hospital, as needed. In short, the Patient & Family Advisory Council advises hospital staff and leadership by creating materials and strategies for improving healthcare quality and safety for all patients and their families.

If you’re passionate about community and want to step up, share your experiences and ideas, and represent all Community Hospital patients, please DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION below, fill it out, and hit "Submit Application" at the bottom. If you want to print it out and fill it out by hand, please mail or drop off the completed application to Diane Gumaer, Community Hospital, 1301 East H St., P.O. Box 1328, McCook, NE 69001 – or email it to dgumaer@chmccook.org. All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee, and top candidates will be contacted for interviews before an orientation or first meeting. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call Diane at 308-344-8292.