Joint Commission Appoints Vidant Health Volunteer to new Patient and Family Advisory Council | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    GREENVILLE     Our patients come first. Understanding their perspective, their values and their needs matters greatly and Vidant Health has long championed patient- and family-centered care. Our trained advisors volunteer their time and insights to the benefit of all patients and families we serve.

    Now the Joint Commission is following suit, establishing their first Patient and Family Advisory Council. Only 10 patient-family advisors across the country have been invited to participate this inaugural year, including just one representative from North Carolina: Patricia Anderson, Ed.D., a Vidant Health patient-family advisor who joined the Vidant Health Patient Family Advisor program in 2010.

    "I'm delighted for the opportunity," said Dr. Anderson, a professor in the College of Education at East Carolina University. "It means helping to chart new territory, helping to create a better and safer environment for patients and families. That's really the goal, after all. The work we do at the local, state and national level-it filters down to when my friend goes to the hospital and she gets what she needs."

    This opportunity also means eastern North Carolina will be represented in discussions regarding decision-making and policies that will impact our region and the rest of the country.

    "We couldn't be more excited for Dr. Anderson. She has been a tireless advocate for our patients and families. It's a well-deserved honor," said Vidant Health Chief Executive Officer Michael R. Waldrum, MD, MS, MBA. "To have our program, our vision, our expertise taken into account at this level-it means we continue to be a leader in this space."

    Dr. Anderson, who also sits on the North Carolina Quality Center Patient Family Advisory Council, will have the opportunity serve two, two-year terms as part of her new role.

• Contact: Erica Mizelle
•     erica.mizelle@vidanthealth.com