About the Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Board

At UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, our patients and their families are the focus of everything we do.

The UPMC Children’s Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Board is a voluntary board that seeks to continually improve family experiences in the Heart Institute by providing feedback and offering insights from previous Heart Institute experiences.

Founded in 2023, the Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Board brings families and staff together to optimize quality, safety, and the overall care experience across the Heart Institute. It also fosters meaningful relationships in a nonjudgemental and psychologically safe environment.

We strive to bring together a diverse group of diagnoses and backgrounds to encompass all aspects of care.

Resources

For families, from families

Learn more

To get involved, share feedback, or learn more about the Heart Institute Patient and Family Advisory Board, please contact us at HVIFAC@upmc.edu.

FAQs

Who is involved?

Our group includes families, physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff across all disciplines of the Heart Institute. This includes cardiac intensive care, acute care, heart failure, electrophysiology, neurodevelopment, supportive care, quality improvement, lactation support, child life, social work, and the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Who can join the Patient and Family Advisory Board?

We encourage all families and caregivers of patients who have received care at UPMC Children’s Heart Institute to join the Patient and Family Advisory Board and share their unique insights.

When and where does the board meet?

Our group holds virtual meetings on a quarterly basis. We often do introductions in May to welcome new members who have joined. During these meetings, we cover current project status updates and discuss any new updates from our clinical team. During our fourth quarter meeting, we share and discuss feedback to ensure we are adapting to the needs of the families.

What kind of projects is the board working on?

• Emergency baskets for families.
• Fontan cookbook.
• Hospital welcome guide.
• Heartbeat Café.