Florence Behr
Advisor

I have come to know Jeanes Campus from both sides. I became familiar with the hospital when my husband, Fred, was a patient. The care he received inspired me to become a Jeanes Campus volunteer four years ago.

Being a volunteer in the main entrance at the front desk at Jeanes Campus, I saw a need for improvements concerning the family’s ability to access certain services of the hospital, such as information, meals for visitors, and language. Serving as a PFAC advisor places me in a good position to bring their voices to the table, a place where other advisors and Jeanes Campus staff members are meeting to address opportunities for improvement.

I have been married to Fred for 58 years and have four children, two of whom are nurses. We are also the proud grandparents of nine and great-grandparents of one

Anthony Dello Russo
Advisor

I first learned of PFAC at a seminar sponsored by Jeanes Campus/Temple Hospital. It was of interest to me due to past personal experiences. In 2015, I had 3 emergency visits to Jeanes Campus/Temple – one a lifesaving bypass surgery. Temple actually sent their cardiac team to Jeanes Campus on short notice to perform the operation.

Post-surgery, the staff in ICU was absolutely wonderful to my family and me. Years earlier I lost some members of my immediate family. The care was fine but communication with the staff was non- existent.  My hope is that in time I can help both patients and their families experience the same care and understanding that I did in 2015, especially in critical situations and not what I encountered years earlier.

I have little or no medical background other than being the only medic at an isolated army missile base in Germany for 18 months.

My wife and I have been married for 46 years, have two adult sons and live in the Fox Chase section of the city. I spent 37 years working in the retirement plan field specializing in company-sponsored benefit plans working with employers and their employees.  I was honored by being asked to serve on the Board of the American Society of Pension Actuaries and Professionals and retired as VP from Wachovia Bank in 2007. I coached youth basketball in Northeast Philadelphia for 25 years and coordinated basketball programs for an entire community.

I feel we all have a responsibility to give back, and hopefully PFAC will provide me with that opportunity.

Mary Lana Finnerty, RN, CRNA (Retired)
Advisor

Professionally, my nursing career began as a cardio-thoracic surgical nurse for three years. Four years later, my interest in anesthesia led me to becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). As an educator and clinical Instructor at Nazareth Hospital School of Anesthesia in Philadelphia, I had the unique pleasure to help train fellow professional RNs in achieving their goals in becoming future CRNAs.

In a career spanning over forty years, I have worked in multiple areas and specialties in the healthcare arena. Being a patient myself and a healthcare professional, my interactions with multiple members of a healthcare team have allowed me to share experiences and to advise in a compassionate and professional manner. Throughout the past, I have served in many civic and community activities.

Personally, I have been married to my husband, Michael, for thirty- seven years. Our loving family consists of two married daughters, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. They are the true beauty in our lives.

I joined the PFAC in order to share my experiences as a caregiver, patient and volunteer and to improve and facilitate the services provided to the patients of Jeanes Campus.

Jeanne Hannum, RN
Advisor

In 1980, I moved to Lawncrest in Northeast Philadelphia from Japan after my husband, Charles, received military orders here. During these 40 years, we've had many ER visits among our 4 children and ourselves. Plus, my husband and I have been inpatients both at Jeanes Campus and Fox Chase Cancer Center.  Overall, we have experienced great care at Jeanes Campus and readily recommend the hospital to our friends. The doctors and nurses there are outstanding in both their care and their caring.

Charles and I have been married for 41 years and have 4 great children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. Two of our children followed us into the Navy, although only our older son still serves. We also have a lovely granddaughter and a couple of high-energy twin grandsons! We are currently empty-nesters with only our Shetland sheepdog and several thousand books to keep us company.

I am retired now, but I had a long career as an RN, both in the Navy and as a civilian. I started as a diploma nurse, graduating from Christ Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati, and later completed a BSN at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. I've worked in areas from pediatrics to geriatrics and from the OR to the ER, although never at Jeanes Campus. I believe that my background helps me to appreciate what a good hospital we were fortunate to find here.

Recently, I attended a health fair on campus, where I was introduced to the PFAC. It seemed like an ideal way to use my background and interests to give back to the community through the hospital.

I am anticipating doing my part in the work of the Patient & Family Advisory Council and helping Jeanes Campus to continue to move forward in patient and family-centered care.

Kathi McDonough
Advisor

My first experience with Jeanes Campus was in May 1996 when my mother had a massive heart attack. In subsequent years, she had several admissions related to her heart and in 2007, she was admitted for a stroke. Based on the quality and caring treatment my mother experienced, I selected Jeanes Campus to be my provider for medical treatments.

Professionally, I had over 40 years of experience in health insurance working for several large healthcare companies, including 25 years with Independence Blue Cross. My experience included working as a compliance analyst in the legal department, where I was instrumental in the development and filing of the initial Personal Choice products. I also worked for 20 years as a manager in the provider contracts department in facilitating credentialing and contracting with all ancillary healthcare providers, including surgicenters, home health, hospice and skilled nursing facilities, as well as individual physician contracts.

Upon retiring in 2013, I felt a need to give back to the community and commenced volunteering at Jeanes Campus and the Medical Mission Sisters. I also volunteer and serve on the board of the Friends of Ryerss Museum and Library.

Pat Miller
Advisor

Jeanes Campus has been providing excellent care for my family for over 40 years. From emergency surgery for my father-in law’s ruptured aortic aneurysm to continued coordinated care for my mother’s cancer, Jeanes Campus has always been the hospital that my family relied upon time and time again. 

We have received state-of-the-art treatments from an attentive, devoted hospital staff. Wonderful, skilled doctors showed such concern that they would call me at night to check on my mother’s progress. That level of thoughtful compassion is extraordinary, especially in today’s medical climate.

After we lost my mother, I sought the opportunity to “give back” to Jeanes Campus in some small way. I have been volunteering at the front desk since 2009. My varied skills help me to provide assistance, offer calm reassurance and provide directions to visitors who, for the most part, would rather be anywhere else than in a hospital. While hospitals can be terrifying and confusing, Jeanes Campus does its best to alleviate those concerns. PFAC is a crucial component to meeting the goal of a caring, restorative hospital stay.

I have had a varied professional life. As a lifelong artist, I also worked in the property/casualty insurance industry for 10 years. After raising my children, I changed careers to education, primarily special education, and have been in that field for over 20 years. I have been married to my husband, Ted, for 45 years and have two children. My son works in the museum system in Portland, Oregon, and my daughter teaches middle school language arts in Brooklyn, New York.

Frances Pollock
Advisor

Jeanes Campus has been my family’s “go to” place for 40 years now. I have been employed here as an RN; delivered two babies; bid my dad good-bye; been an in-patient; used outpatient services; spent hours (days) in the ER; and visited hospitalized relatives and friends many times. I have also served on several committees and am currently a board member.

As I consider the countless interactions with the hospital itself and people attached to it, I am most struck by the sense of constancy I experience here, or why else would I rely so strongly on Jeanes Campus? Thinking back, one extremely important intervention with me, as a family member, was a conversation I had with an empathetic, gentle pulmonary doctor in ICU when it appeared it would be necessary to disconnect my dad from life support. I experienced kindness and understanding from the nursing staff during some very difficult days, as well as from the pastoral care person after he passed away.

When I was invited to join the PFAC, I agreed to find out what it entailed. As I grew to understand the philosophy behind it, I was struck by its comprehensive view of health care. Since I have been a nurse for 50 years, and a family therapist for 30, I look at the concept from the inside and the outside.

Part of why I decided to switch careers to family therapy had something to do with my observations as a nurse. I thought of how many times a patient’s visitors would stand around the bed, looking lost and exhausted. It was obvious they required support and education, as they were often disconnected from information and decision making regarding the patient.

Later, I learned ways to include family/significant others along with the patient, which effectively intercepted problems. During this time, managed care took much decision making out of the hands of doctors. Everyone felt this shift, which made good communication paramount to all involved in patient care. I believe much of this is already accomplished by the Jeanes Campus staff. Moving towards a more inclusive way of “getting everyone on the same page” is a goal worth realizing.

So, I serve on this committee, which aims to achieve a more fully integrated style of health care – where providers are experts in medicine, and patients and the people significant to them are experts on their lives.

Betty Lou Schoeller
Advisor

As a Cheltenham resident for 65 years, Jeanes Campus became our family’s hospital of choice many years ago. Throughout the decades, my parents, husband, children, and I have been patients. I have always been very impressed by the medical personnel, administration, volunteers, and facilities of Jeanes Campus. 

The last few years I have had more frequent hospital visitations with my husband. The care he received during these surgeries and inpatient stays have once again confirmed my belief that Jeanes Campus is a top-notch caring institution. The staff assisted me in navigating rehabilitation, home care and palliative care transitions with ease, support, and dignity. 

Previously I volunteered at Jeanes Campus on a medical floor. My experience as a daughter, wife, mother, teacher, volunteer, grandmother, and caregiver have led me back to Jeanes Campus again. My background has given me the perspective that I feel will be a value to the PFAC. 

Executive Sponsors

Dr. Rebecca Armbruster, Chief Medical Officer
Denise Frasca, Chief Nursing Officer, VP Patient Services

Lisa Donnelly, Business Development
Catherine Huck, Performance Improvement

Dwight McBee, Patient Experience
Denise Nawalany, Rehabilitation & Orthopedics
Delinda Pendleton, PFAC Liaison
Rosemarie Schlegel, Volunteers
Kristen Smith, Performance Improvement
Maria Solitro, Inpatient Nursing
Dr. William Vemula, Hospitalists
Elizabeth Welsh, Emergency Department