Testimonials from Patient Advisors

“My work as a patient advisor provides me with the opportunity to improve the health care experience for all patients who engage with Henry Ford Health.  In addition, serving as a patient advisor allows me to navigate more efficiently through the Henry Ford Health and communicate more effectively with providers.”
Jacquetta Hinton – Patient Advisor since 2016

“PERC is a valuable asset for the Henry Ford Health because it adds a third dimension to the usual dichotomy of health care with the creation of the Patient Advisor role.  Now, instead of a medical encounter ending once the provider delivers a prescribed health service to a patient, a Patient Advisor encourages the possibility of evolving and recurring services.  Future patients are informed by health cohorts (Patient Advisors) who have just undergone and reported on the care they are considering.  Patient Advisors are able to culminate their care with reflection and feedback.  Medical practitioners can review the qualitative feedback to inform their delivery of future care.  

It has been an interesting endeavor to participate in PERC as a Patient Advisor.  I felt that I could not find all of the information I needed before a recent procedure and I couldn’t figure out if I was asking the wrong questions or just not looking in the right places.  It occurred to me that perhaps my questions didn’t resonate with my physicians because they already knew everything would be fine and there wasn’t need to worry or over analyze. While it is reassuring to feel like your doctors will take care of everything, natural curiosity compels our need to ask questions and gather data to the many unknowns peppering our minds before a medical experience.  So, I would like to think that I and my fellow Patient Advisors add valuable voices bearing the “expertise” of being patients. Patient Advisors can help to reinterpret medical information so that it informs and assures someone without an M.D. or R.N. who is looking for concrete, clear, and useful information to inform their health choices and options. “
Kate Bongiorno – Patient Advisor since 2016

“When I originally became involved with HFHW PFAC, I was excited with all the changes that were taking place within the hospital and believed PFAC was the next logical step. 
As a member of the council, it is a pleasure participating in the quarterly meetings/discussions, but more importantly it is very rewarding to see that our comments/suggestions/points of view are being carefully considered by administration and in many instances implemented. As a consumer, not a health care professional, it is important to me that the hospital is engaged in understanding how I/my family perceive the care being provided. Keep up the good work!"
Kathy White – Patient Advisor since 2016

“In my current work as a coordinator and volunteer with the Transplant Living Community (TLC), I feel it is very important to bring the patient perspective to the conversation and provide ideas and input on ways to improve healthcare delivery for myself, my family, and other patients and their families. Becoming a Patient Advisor with PERC allows me to share my story as a way to give feedback that can influence the decisions that are made concerning the quality of care patients receive at Henry Ford Transplant, Henry Ford Health, and beyond. It also enables me to provide input and feedback on projects and policies that improve the care, service, and partnership for patients and families of Henry Ford. As a former patient who had a Stem Cell Transplant at Henry Ford in 2006, I have a unique perspective that I want to use to help the next patient and their caregiver.”
Christianne Sims – Patient Advisor since 2015

“I am honored to be a Patient Advisor for the PERC team because I help to encourage others to have a healthy lifestyle. When I engage with patients, I help them change their attitudes, to help them flight, to instill hope, and I have learned to be this way from my own experience, but also through the tools I have received in my Patient Advisor Training. Being a Patient Advisor has been a wonderful experience because we are all helping each other with our health while forging lasting, meaningful relationships.”
Joyce McKee- Patient Advisor since 2018