Patient and Family Advisor: Christine Abbott
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Christine Abbott |
Christine Abbott is a seasoned patient and family advisor at the MCG Health System, in Augusta, Georgia. Her child's kidney disease required many admissions to the Children's Medical Center at MCG and Christine knew from the outset that she and the hospital staff needed to be partners in care.
Patients and family members have been partnering with staff at MCG as advisors since 1993, which presently has more than 130 patients and families serving in hospital-wide efforts. Christine was among the earliest volunteers, serving initially as a family leader, and later as Chairperson of the Family Advisory Council.
While Chairperson of the Family Advisory Council for four years, Christine worked closely with the MCG Children's Advisory Council. The members, past and current pediatric patients, eagerly work with hospital staff to tackle specific concerns and give input into new program possibilities. They helped to:
- choose the Children's Medical Center (CMC) logo;
- create new hospital menus;
- raise money to buy new toys for outpatient clinics; and
- write articles for a number of hospital publications describing their health care experiences..
The Family Advisory Council continues to meet monthly to discuss improvement opportunities and services to benefit patients and families, but without Christine because of other challenges in her life. As her child began to get better, Christine's health declined and she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Strengthening her promise to unite with health care practitioners, she migrated away from the Family Advisory Council to help set up the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Family Advisory Council. Consisting of seven patients and one family member for each patient, these fourteen volunteers team up with staff to develop programs and services specifically for MS patients. The Council identified a need for a dedicated MS site and, in 2001, the Augusta Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center was created, as part of the MCG Neuroscience Center.
Christine did not serve on the MS Advisory Council but volunteers in the MS clinic, teaching other MS patients how to use the computer program My HealthLink, a secure website, to support their self-management goals and house basic components of their medical record.
In 2002, the Health Partners Advisory Council was created for adult patients and families to share their experiences, provide perspective on changes in procedures and policy at the health system level, and suggest ways to improve the experience of care. Christine was one of the first members of the Health Partners Advisory Council. The redesigned mammography unit, PET/CT unit, and the new Neuroscience Center incorporated patients' ideas and suggestions.
Christine and two other members of the Health Partners Council who have neurological conditions had key roles in the creation of the Neuroscience Center, which will serve as a model for patient- and family-centered care throughout the MCG Health System. Christine was intensely involved with the redesign of the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, which will be a template for other units in the hospital. She played a part in all aspects of progress, interviewed health care providers for positions in the unit, including physicians, nurses, clerks and therapists, helped select paint colors for patient rooms, and helped write the unit's mission statement. MS education materials are on hand for patients and families, and family members or caregivers are encouraged to be there during clinic visits.
This year Christine received the Golden Star Award, an honor given to volunteers who go the extra mile, for her constant commitment to the MS Clinic and her contributions on the Health Partners Advisory Committee.