VERO BEACH — “If you’ve never been to the IRMC Emergency Room then you cannot truly appreciate the difference the Patient Advocates make. Any injury or illness that results in an ER visit can be a very frightening event. All of the Patient Advocates provide the comfort and assurance that you are not alone throughout your visit to the ER at IRMC.” Eric Carter,M.D. Six years ago the Board of Directors of the Foundation made a bold move to create and fund a program unique to Indian River Medical Center by authorizing the creation of the Patient Advocate program. The concept was that Patient Advocates would serve as liaisons between patients and healthcare providers, helping patients and their families with nonclinical needs and assisting with transfer of information.
As great programs often do, the Patient Advocates started small with limited hours of coverage. Quickly everyone who interacted with the advocates was singing their praises-patients, families, nurses and physicians. It became apparent within the program’s first two years that the services of the Patient Advocates were needed 24/7 and the Foundation Board committed to expanding the program.
The most common comment heard by Foundation Executive Director Jan Donlan from ER staff is, “we couldn’t live without the Patient Advocates . . . they make our busy lives so much more manageable. When patients and their families realize that the Patient Advocate program is fully funded by the Foundation, I often get calls, emails and letters thanking us for this extraordinary service.”
The toughest moments in a Patient Advocate’s day occur during a crisis. “Codes and car accidents can take hours to resolve,” says Manager Aleta Glynn. “We’re with families when a doctor breaks bad news. We accompany people to the morgue. We call family members. One of our advocates sat with a woman while her husband was treated. When the advocate said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t meet you under different circumstances,’ the women replied, ‘but I needed you now.'”
To learn more about Patient Advocates visit www.irmcfoundation.org.
