Patient & Family Advisory Council

Rosemary started volunteering at Beverly Hospital in 2002 in the Special Care Nursery, with a Young Moms support group and with her therapy dog. She was asked if she would consider joining PFAC when it started in 2010 and readily agreed and since has become its first patient co-chair.

Rosemary’s perspective is twofold: as a patient having had three joints replaced at Beverly Hospital; as well as a career in Occupational Therapy and in that role being a member of the Accreditation team at a State Hospital. She feels the group is really important in the cooperative work it provides with hospital staff and the volunteer advisors, and as such ensuring that the patient and family are always considered a central part of the care team.

Lynn was invited to join PFAC IN 2016. She joined following a family member’s stay in ICU. Lynn is a retired clinical social worker, originally from St. Petersburg, Florida. Her passion is raising awareness about the importance of planning for end-of-life care. She has served as a volunteer and PFAC member with Care Dimensions, which has also given her perspective with being a PFAC member at Beverly Hospital.

Liz was invited to join PFAC in early 2014. There was a vacancy and Jane Karaman, a friend and Head of Volunteer Services, thought it might be a good fit. At the time, her husband had recently died after a long battle with cancer, and she had a wealth of hospital experiences Jane thought would be useful to bring to PFAC. Although Liz’s husband had not been a patient at Beverly, her experiences and perspective would be useful.

Liz was happy to join and work towards improving the patient and family experience at any hospital. Her main focus was involving family and patient more directly in their care decisions, communicating decisions to the patient and family in a more timely manner, and recognizing that the hospital was a 24/7 operation. She also believes care and decisions should not be postponed until the weekend was over and staff was back onboard. Over the years she has volunteered in many areas of the hospital and served on other hospital committees. She has also been a patient at Beverly herself. She continues to share my thoughts on the Patient/Family experience with both the Hospital and the general citizen community.

Sheila was recruited by Liz Loomis to join the PCAC during the first year of COVID, 2020, so she has only met most of PFAC virtually!

She was interested in this committee because she has been a patient at both Beverly and Addison- Gilbert ED's, had surgery in the outpatient facility and she has providers in the BILH system.

Sheila started my career at BIDMC in the Hematology lab at the Deaconess Hospital in 1972. She was asked to be on loan to the Information Technology Department during the merger with Beth Israel in 1997 to implement a Lab Information System. After that project was completed she formally transferred to Clinical Applications and spent the rest of my career as a Clinical Analyst doing various projects implementing vendor software systems. Sheila’s special interests in PFAC are improvement of patient interfaces with technology, and reducing barriers to health care access for all.

Paul joined PFAC in January of 2022 eager to learn about BILH as a major provider of our local health care system. Paul believes an unexpected lesson has been the meticulous attention to detail that runs throughout the Beth Israel Lahey Health, at both Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals. From signage to furnishings and from patient care to medical treatments, every detail reflects the organization's commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

Paul brings from his career as a teacher, principal and superintendent in public schools across Massachusetts, a commitment to helping others to succeed and to lead productive lives – which are values he sees permeate throughout Beverly Hospital. Paul has been gratified to get to know and to work with so many dedicated and capable professionals who treat their work as a personal calling and not just a job.

Since becoming a PFAC member in late 2022, Kathy has had the opportunity to explore the Council's wide-ranging capacity to impact patients' and families' health care experiences. Her interest in PFAC had its origins in a rewarding nursing career that incorporated a clear understanding of the value of volunteer service. As a former member of several Beverly Hospital committees, Kathy has been the community representative on the BILH Geriatric/NICHE Steering Committee since 2013. In addition, Kathy serves on the Board of the Council on Aging in Rockport, where she resides. The high quality health care provided by BILH at Cape Ann's Addison Gilbert Hospital further supports her investment in the work of PFAC.

Executive Sponsor: Kim Perryman, MMHC, RN, NE-BC – Chief Nursing Officer