FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital leaders are seeking individuals who want to get involved in what’s called the Patient and Family Partnership Council — a group that meets regularly to provide feedback on their experiences as patients here and help plan changes to improve overall care at the hospital.
“This program is designed to allow patients to have a say in their care. They can bring us their concerns from a patient’s perspective, what we are doing well or what we need to improve on,” GLWACH patient advocate Wendy Couch said. “The whole purpose of this is to make us a better facility for our patients.”
Shauna Phegley, GLWACH Quality Management Division chief, said this is one of the best ways for patients to get involved in the care they are receiving.
“Patients have to own their healthcare. This is also a way to help support other patients,” Phegley said. “We need their viewpoint. We are aiming for better care.”
The council needs active-duty service members and their families, retirees and their families and TRICARE for Life patients, who can speak to the care they are receiving as current GLWACH patients, Couch said.
“Once we get the needed participants, we will set up a quarterly meeting. The meetings will be about an hour to an hour-and-a-half long,” Couch said. “We are hosting informational booths and have signage up all over the hospital to advertise the opportunity.”
According to Couch, the active-duty council members must come from units outside of the hospital, and those are the individuals currently needed most.
“As long as they get their care here, they can be from any branch of the military,” Couch said.
Membership requirements include being 18 or older, attending two to four meetings annually, training on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, commonly called HIPAA, and completing a non-disclosure agreement regarding privacy of patient information.
To apply, call Couch at 573.596.0042, or send an email to wendy.l.couch2.civ@health.mil.
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