Special to Iredell Free News
Do you want to be more involved in your community? Are you interested in supporting your local healthcare system?
Volunteering on the Iredell Health System Patient and Family Council provides a way to do both.
As part of its continuous commitment to the wellbeing of its patients and the community, Iredell Health System has created a Patient and Family Council. Guided by the organization’s mission, vision, and values, the Patient and Family Council will provide an opportunity for community members to take an active role in improving the overall patient and visitor experience throughout the health system.
“The Patient and Family Council will serve as an open, outside look at how we are performing as the communities’ healthcare system, and what we can do to improve,” said Jed Pidcock, director of Patient Experience at Iredell Health System.
Patient care in the healthcare industry is changing. Iredell Health System strives to be at the forefront of this change by focusing on the relationship and necessary interaction between the patients, their family, and the community, so that it may provide a collaborative healing environment to meet patients’ needs.
In order to meet the healthcare needs of the community, a hospital needs the community to help guide its efforts so that it may serve them as effectively as possible. Whether it’s from addressing socioeconomic issues in the area it serves or obtaining the highest quality in patient care, a hospital relies on the community, just as the community relies on the hospital.
This council provides a vital link between Iredell Health System and the community and gives the hospital a unique perspective in areas that affect patient care, including quality and safety efforts.
“It gives a voice to the community on how we can improve and meet their specific needs,” said
Pidcock.
Iredell Health System’s values — compassion, respect, collaboration, and integrity — are critical components of this council.
Council members will serve as strong advocates for the priorities of Iredell Health System’s patients, their families, and the community as a whole.
An ideal Patient and Family Council Member would be a good listener, respect others’ perspectives, see beyond his or her own experiences, be interested in more than one issue, work well in groups and with different types of people, and have the ability to maintain confidentiality.
Anyone over the age of 18 is able to join the Iredell Health System Patient and Family Council. Council members will meet at the end of every month to discuss current projects, provide feedback, and develop new projects and programs to enhance patient care. They must be willing to openly share their experiences and expectations of Iredell Health System.
Members can benefit from this council by meeting new people, learning more about their healthcare system, gaining experience, and creating a positive community impact.
“To further its mission to Inspire Wellbeing — Together, Iredell Health System wants to partner with its community to provide high-quality healthcare for everyone,” said Pidcock.
If you are interested in learning more about the Iredell Health System Patient and Family Council, please call Jed Pidcock at 704-878-4524 or fill out the Contact Us form at iredellhealth.org and follow the instructions below.
Contact Us Form Instructions
1. Go to iredellhealth.org and click the “Contact Us” at the top of the page
2. Click “Provide Feedback”
3. Under “What kind of feedback would you like to provide,” select “Other”
4. Under “If you selected Service or Other, please describe where we could direct your
feedback,” please type “Patient and Family Council”
5. Click “Submit”
About Iredell Health System
Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; more than 1,700 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.