Kay Fricke, Family Advisory Council Parent Coordinator and Co-Chair
"In my experience I have found it critically important that parents have a voice in their child's care and be able to make choices." -- Kay Fricke
Kay Fricke
Family Advisory Council Parent Coordinator Kay Fricke.
Phone: 513-636-1284
Email: fac@cchmc.org or kay.fricke@cchmc.org
Kay Fricke became co-chair and parent coordinator of the Family Advisory Council at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center during 2006.
"The breadth of issues that has come before this council in the past is impressive, and I am proud to be able to facilitate future improvements in family-centered care at Cincinnati Children's," Kay said.
Kay and her husband are parents to two teenagers.
"I have been interested in quality care issues in the medical setting for my entire life. In my experience I have found it critically important that parents have a voice in their child's care and be able to make choices," Kay said.
"For years I have been a believer in this practice before I ever new it had a name or a council which advocated for patients and their families, Kay said. "I am pleased and proud to be a part of an official process of which the goal is to improve the quality of the patient experience in every way.
"In my life I have lived in many different places and have experiences in many different medical facilities," Kay said. "I bring to this institution a background which is rich and varied. I am a good observer and a good listener and believe that I will be able to facilitate productive change at Cincinnati Children's.
"Having been the parent of a patient who has been seen in many different institutions, I bring a broad sense of how medical care can be delivered as well as the varied way it can be perceived," Kay said. "I am open and accepting to different approaches and enjoy working with people toward achieving a goal.
"When I was a new parent here, I didn't know how to 'play the game'. I had no idea how to make sure my child received the care that was needed," Kay said.
"I found myself in the middle of a rather heated discussion with the physician regarding a second opinion," Kay said. "I wanted one, and the physician did not think this was necessary. When he left the room the nurse who had witnessed this exchange comforted me and empowered me with the following statement: 'You are her advocate; you do what you need to do'. Those words have stayed with me for over 10 years now; they were so simple and so powerful."
In addition to serving on the Family Advisory Council, Kay serves on the Children's Heart Association Board, which funds research and social programs which impact children seen in the Cardiology Division at Cincinnati Children's. She also serves as a parent representative on the Bioethics Committee at Cincinnati Children's.
