On an annual basis, more than 2,600 babies are delivered through caesarean section at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. The current operating rooms and recovery areas on the second and third floors will be renovated in multiple phases starting in early 2020. This is expected to improve the patient experience and provide the best medical care for our mothers and babies. Like any expectant family, the team is preparing for the renovation.
The Women’s Health PFAC was engaged early in the planning process to walk the pathway of the scheduled C-section patient from triage to recovery. Sharing their own experiences, the council influenced the facility plans to create a family-centered design enabling the care team to function at the highest level.
Understanding the far-reaching impact this construction and renovation will have when ground breaks in 2020, the Communications and Marketing team also engaged the council to brainstorm ways to provide “under construction” support to those patients who will be affected by the renovation. Council members weighed in on everything from comfort care packages for new mothers to the messaging that will be carried throughout to ensure that all patients, family members and guests have a high quality, safe and positive experience.
It has been an honor and privilege serving on the Women’s Health PFAC. Knowing that our work is helping to drive change is especially meaningful. It is also very rewarding to be given the opportunity to help serve our community in this capacity.
Spectrum Health has been my go-to for all health-related needs since I was an infant. All of my primary care physicians and specialists have been from the Spectrum Health community and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My experiences with Spectrum have always been so positive. Everyone has been knowledgeable, kind and helpful. After a minimally invasive procedure, I suffered a complication which required a short hospital stay. Each employee I interacted with treated me as their top priority.
A family member who works for Spectrum Health encouraged me to become involved with the Patient and Family Advisory Council after hearing about it through work. They recognized I could offer a lot of valuable feedback, especially as it relates to women’s health
The most valuable involvement I participated in was in the mammography clinic at Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion. We rounded the clinic and saw each step of the mammography process and offered insight into how we, as patients, feel each step and offered suggestion on how it could be improved and made more comfortable. Though I have not gone through the process myself, I offered insight into how a younger person may feel going through the process for the first time. This was the most impactful moment for me as a PFAC member, knowing that our suggestions and feedback were going to affect real change in the clinic’s process.