Parents and young patients as partners in care.

Over time, we have added nearly 100 pediatric specialists in cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, psychiatry, neurology, hematology/ oncology, rheumatology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, pulmonology, rehabilitation and other specialties. In 2007, we opened a five-bed children’s emergency department, and in December 2010, the hospital earned the only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center designation north of the Twin Cities. As we expand pediatric services, our leadership has given extraordinary support to the concept of patientand family-centered care. Before 2004, our pediatric care was more traditional and process-oriented. Physicians and other medical staff made decisions in the best interest of the patient but did not necessarily involve or seek out parents’ thoughts. Our physicians and administrators sought a better model of care, one that is still evolving. Today we work as a team — from the housekeeping staff to physician specialists — to seek out what our young patients and their families need. We have always tried to treat our patients with dignity, respect, kindness and patience. But our patientand family-centered care initiative takes those concepts much farther. It shapes programs, policies, facility designs and every interaction we have with our patients and their families. It makes social, emotional and developmental support part of our job because, in truth, they are important aspects of health care. This approach redefines our roles as providers, making patients and their families our partners in health care. It gives them both dignity and control. Additions to our staff reflect our commitment to this care model. We also have developed an effective family advisory council that makes a difference in both the hospital and clinic setting. A grant in 2007 allowed us to see what a patientand family-centered care coordinator could do. Two years later, our administration enthusiastiParents and Young Patients as Partners in Care P E D I A T R I C S