Patient & Family Experience

Our healthcare teams are constantly working together to evaluate processes to ensure best outcomes and care. Adding to the teams family caregivers with lived experience in the topic being evaluated ensures the patient and family perspective is included. Meetings are often once a month, and many can be done via Zoom. Topics are determined by the healthcare teams.

Family caregivers who have been through a health challenge with a child and are a few years out from the start of that challenge (a Buddy Mentor) are matched up virtually with a family caregiver who is just beginning a similar journey (a Buddy Mentee). The Mentor supports the Mentee as they develop the skills they need to cope and thrive. This communication happens over text, phone, or Zoom can last from a few weeks to a few months.

The Buddy Mentor role requires some of the most training we ask of a volunteer. It also requires a background check, committing to answering emails, and completing our log and timesheet to keep program organizers updated.

Learn more about our Buddy Programs.

Individual stories are a great way to share what happens at GCH. We're looking for families interested in submitting pictures and/or written accounts for social media. Families may be asked to share their stories and thoughts about the care they received at GCH with an internal audience like a panel discussion or a staff improvement retreat. We're also looking for families interested in representing GCH at fundraising events.

Advisors can contribute to the Advisory Board and/or participate in the Bereaved Parent Educator Program in which bereaved parents train Fellows how to share difficult news with families. Please also see Buddy Programs for mention of the Bereavement Buddy Program.

View the Bereavement website.

Medical staff may present an idea to the group for feedback. Our meetings are currently by Zoom on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (no meetings in July or August). We typically recruit new members in the summer. Learn more on our Pediatric Family Advisory Council website.

Did you experience a lengthy stay in the Golisano Children’s Hospital NICU? If so, you can relate to some of our current NICU families. NICU dinner nights happen once a month in the NICU lounge where a meal is served. While it’s the food that brings people together, current NICU families find comfort in shared experiences with past NICU families who volunteer as Dinner Night Mentors. Several times a year a NICU graduate dad also hosts Donuts with Dad in the NICU lounge – while it’s open to all caregivers with a child in the NICU, we want dads to know there is support for them.

Interested in being a Dinner Night Mentor or a Donuts with Dad Mentor? You must be 2 years out from your time in the NICU to serve in this role. This role requires the most training we ask of a volunteer. It also requires a background check, committing to answering emails and committing to being on-site a few times a year. If interested, we’ll share the onboarding steps, which include a health appointment with Employee Health.

This program is subject to visitation guidelines.

Learn more on the NICU Family Support website.

When your child was inpatient at Golisano Children’s Hospital, did you wish there was someone who had been through a similar situation who you could talk to face-to-face? That’s what our By the Bedside Mentors do. This program currently exists for the NICU and 8 North. We hope to expand to other units in the future.