Family Advisory Council

What is the Family Advisory Council?

The Family Advisory Council (FAC) is a voluntary group that includes family members of current or former pediatric patients of Connecticut Children’s. Council members lend parent, patient and provider perspectives to help improve the overall patient- and family-centered health care experience at Connecticut Children’s.

Connecticut Children’s FAC provides members with a place to meet, a dedicated employee liaison, tracking of annual accomplishments, representatives from specialty family advisory councils, access to serve on hospital committees and admission to the annual Connecticut Children’s FAC Summit.

For some parents, it can be very empowering to be part of a group that works to make critical medical services better, stronger and more patient- and family-centered. Being a Family Advisory Council member means that a parent:

  • Has a child who has received services at Connecticut Children’s
  • Supports the mission of the hospital
  • Shows concern for more than one issue or agenda
  • Interacts well with many different kinds of people
  • Sees beyond the family’s own personal experience
  • Respects the perspectives of others
  • Works well in partnerships with others

Specialty Family Advisory Councils

In addition to the Connecticut Children’s Family Advisory Council, there are a number of specialty FACs that focus on specific medical conditions. Like the hospital-wide FAC, specialty FACs consist of volunteer members and are required to work in alignment with Connecticut Children’s mission. All FACs organize their purpose and structure using the Connecticut Children’s bylaws template.

The cancer Family Advisory Council at Connecticut Children’s is a voluntary group that includes family members of current of former pediatric cancer patients and medical professionals who care for children with cancer. They provide insight, guidance and support to families with a child undergoing cancer treatment, and work to continually improve the patient- and family-centered health care experience at Connecticut Children’s. For more information about the cancer Family Advisory Council, call 860.545.9293.

The Craniofacial Family Advisory Council is a group of volunteers that supports craniofacial families. Meetings are held 3-4 times per year in early evenings at the Raytheon Technologies Family Resource Center on the second floor of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. Members can talk with other parents of craniofacial patients and share their personal experiences, as well as plan events such as lemonade stands, bake sales, the holiday party, picnics and more. For more information, contact Glendalee Morales gmorales02 [at] connecticutchildrens.org (via email) or at 860.545.9360.

The Diabetes Family Advisory Council at Connecticut Children’s includes families of children diagnosed with diabetes and offer insight into diagnosis, diabetes management and our transition program. It is also a forum to provide feedback on Connecticut Children’s diabetes and endocrinology programs. For more information, kbucci [at] connecticutchildrens.org (email Karen Bucci.)

The NICU Family Advisory Council (FAC) is comprised of a group of families and caregivers who have had a baby (or babies) in the Connecticut Children’s NICU at Hartford Hospital or UConn Health within the past two years. Meetings are held monthly from September – June. The group’s focus is to improve the patient and family experience in the NICU from admission to discharge and beyond. For more information, please call 860.679.7983.

The Family Advisory Council (FAC) for Sickle Cell Care was established in 2007 and meets approximately 10 times a year. Our FAC community is comprised of parents, adolescents and young adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD), and an interdisciplinary team of health care providers. We work in partnership to continually improve the delivery of health care services to children and adolescents who are living with SCD through various projects aimed to promote family-centered, culturally-competent care and by assuring care is based on best practices.  Child care is available during our meetings.  For more information, please call 860.545.9630.

How to Become a Family Advisory Council Member

How to Apply
There are several steps in the application process to become a member of one of Connecticut Children’s family advisory councils.

  • Membership application
  • Phone interview
  • FAC parent conversation
  • Background check
  • Flu shot (mandatory)
  • Orientation with Volunteer Services
  • If you have questions, or for more information, please sgilland [at] connecticutchildrens.org (email Susan Gilland) or call 860.837.5582.

Apply to Become a Member

Thank you for your interest! We look forward to reviewing your application.

Apply now