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Patient Advocates outside IRMC’s ER with
Eric Carter, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services.
From left: Kim Matul, Judi Roberts, Aleta Glynn, Kathy Berg and
Toni Marren; not shown: Janis Berg, Amy Quenan and Leslie Barner
Patient Advocates…
Caring hearts for the benefit of all
"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 JanDonlan
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.'"
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