We are pleased to present the Suburban Hospital 2021 Patient and Family Advisory Council Annual Report.

The PFAC’s dedicated team of volunteers and professionals spent many hours during the past year bringing the patient and family voice to every aspect of hospital operations. It is only through this partnership between patient and family advisors, who represent our community, and hospital leadership and staff that we can ensure Suburban provides the best patient- and family-centered care, a touchstone of excellence throughout Johns Hopkins Medicine.

It will come as no surprise that 2021, like the previous year, was extraordinarily challenging for Suburban staff members, the PFAC and, of course, for patients and families. COVID-19 impacted everything we did. It limited access of family and care partners to patients and clinicians in the hospital, put extraordinary stress on the staff as they dealt with repeated COVID surges, and limited access of PFAs and other volunteers to the hospital.

Despite the stresses and restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic, the PFAC and its PFAs continued their active role in hospital and systemwide operations. PFAs participated in most meetings using Zoom and other telecommunication tools.

The PFAC provided representation at the Johns Hopkins system level in several committees. Of note is the participation of members of the PFAC in the Patient- and Family-Centered Care Clinical Community, a group consisting of representatives from PFACs throughout the Johns Hopkins Health System. We were particularly pleased that Suburban PFA Vickie Stearn continued her role as co-chair of this group. Through its participation in this committee, Suburban’s PFAC played a role in urging system leadership to allow families and care partners maximum access to patients where and when it could be done without endangering the health of staff members, patients or families.

This year saw a change in PFAC leadership. Steve Bokat, who skillfully served as the PFA co-chair for the last five years, stepped down in June 2021. The new PFA co-chair is Jean Hochron, a long-time volunteer member of the PFAC. (See “Jean Hochron Takes Over As PFAC Volunteer Co-Chair” to learn more.) In addition, Kris Hakanson, director of Suburban’s Office of Patient Family Experience and long-time PFAC member, joined LeighAnn as a staff co-chair.

We wish for, and look forward to, a 2022 in which Suburban can once again welcome the presence of care partners, families and PFAs in the hospital.

Jean Hochron, Patient and Family Advisor
LeighAnn Sidone, D.N.P., R.N., C.E.N.P., Vice President of Nursing / Chief Nurse Officer
Kris Hakanson, Director of the Office of Patient & Family Experience

Co-Chairs, Suburban Hospital PFAC

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