HCCH Recognized as MHA’s 2024 Compass Honor Winner
Two Missouri hospitals have earned recognition for engaging their community to improve care and the patient experience. Harrison County Community Hospital in Bethany, Mo., and BJC Healthcare in St. Louis have received the Missouri Hospital Association’s 2024 Compass Honor. The award spotlights work by a hospital or health system’s Patient and Family Advisory Council and recognizes organizations with more or fewer than 100 beds.
“Every hospital aspires to deliver the best possible care while creating an environment that supports healing,” said MHA President and CEO Jon D. Doolittle. “The science of care delivery advances consistently. However, to learn about the environment of care, hospitals rely heavily on input from patients, families, and communities.”
Hospitals establish Patient and Family Advisory Councils to understand how patients experience their care. These PFACS help hospitals identify opportunities for improvements in environment, where systems and processes complicate the health care experience, and how to foster better communication and engagement. with patients.
Harrison County Community Hospital received the Compass Honor for the hospital with fewer than 100 beds.
Since the hospital PFAC’s initial meeting in January 2024, members have offered input on many initiatives, such as renovating a waiting room, streamlining discharge paperwork, expanding community health fair offerings, and improving accessibility options during registration.
“Our Patient and Family Advisory Council is pivotal in transforming our acute appointment scheduling and waiting room experiences,” said Tara Sherer, CNA, PFAC Chair and Director of In-Home Services and Registration at Harrison County Community Hospital. “By prioritizing innovations like negative air systems, enhanced registration options for those who are hard of hearing, and thoughtful accessibility measures, we’re not just improving logistics- we’re fostering an environment where every patient feels safe, heard, and valued. Together, we’re redefining care for a healthier tomorrow.”
Additionally, the council supported a telehealth grant, served as “secret shoppers” for infection control, assisted with tracking outpatient clinic wait times, offered autism resources, provided feedback for a new stroke support group, and collaborated with the patient experience team to drive patient-centered improvements at HCCH.
BJC HealthCare earned the Compass Honor as an organization with more than 100 beds.
The health system’s Sickle Cell Patient Community Advisory Council has helped guide improved care coordination systems for BJC’s sickle cell disease patients. The council offered feedback on proposed workflows, accessibility of space, and design of the Sickle Cell Treatment Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital – the first comprehensive adult treatment center for sickle cell disease in the St. Louis region.
The council’s work has helped to normalize the needs of sickle cell patients at BJC, and the input that members offered has helped to begin closing gaps in care to his patient population.
Two hospitals were named runners-up in the Compass Honor. Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare in Clinton, Mo., was named a runner-up for an organization with fewer than 100 beds, while North Kansas City Hospital was honored as an organization with more than 100 beds.
In 2022, MHA introduced the Compass Honor, which is sponsored by the Statewide PFAC. To learn more about this annual recognition and read about previous Compass Honor recipients, visit MHA’s PFAC webpage.