Held annually by Health Quality Alberta and its Patient and Family Advisory Committee, the Patient Experience Awards celebrate and help spread knowledge about projects or programs that improve the patient experience in accessing and receiving healthcare services.

We are thrilled to announce that the Family Mentor Program at the Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH) was a recipient of the Health Quality Alberta Patient Experience Awards for 2026.

At the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, families whose children faced repeated hospitalizations shared they often felt alone, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn for emotional or practical support. Many were unaware of the available resources or how to navigate the health system. They sought reassurance and guidance from someone who had lived through a similar experience.

A volunteer peer support model was well received by families but difficult to sustain; many families remained unsupported. Thanks to the generosity of community donors to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, the program transitioned to a formal, paid family mentor model to provide consistent, integrated, peer support to every inpatient family.

In the first year, the mentors completed 1,172 family visits – a 554 percent increase over the previous year’s volunteer visits – with 100 percent of families saying they would recommend the program to others.

Congratulations to the Family Mentor Program!

The Family Advisory Council (FAC) was started ten years ago as an essential step in making sure that families could actively influence and enhance the care and services offered for children who receive care at the Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH). In April we came together to celebrate this milestone with a hybrid meeting.

The Family Advisory Council is comprised of a diverse set of parents, guardians, and caregivers with different child health and life experiences. Collectively, they have experiences throughout ACH, accessing services in inpatient care, outpatient clinics, surgery, emergency department, Rotary Flames House and the Child Development Centre. The unique perspectives each member brings to the council provides for rich contributions during each consultation.

Many members have expressed a shared goal of wanting to give back to the hospital and improve the experience of others who will use the healthcare system in the future.

One member shared this reflection on their experience with the Family Advisory Council:

"I feel so grateful to learn from the other family members (different experiences, different perspectives) and I feel honoured to be a part of changes that take place at the hospital, both big and small. I am grateful for everything ACH has done and continues to do for my family, and I appreciate this opportunity to give back by being a part of FAC. "

In the last ten years, 104 members have joined the Family Advisory Council, volunteering almost 3,000 hours of contributed time. In that time, members have provided critical feedback on 116 consultations! Topics have included ACH Strategic Planning, Pain Services, Parental Presence, Wayfinding, Safest Together Program and Playground Design, just to name a few.

Clinicians and staff from across the site bring forth a variety of consults, seeking input and feedback from council members to inform their work. Jennifer Crysdale, Executive Director of Inpatient Care shared her thoughts on consulting with FAC.

"As an Executive Director at ACH, consulting with the ACH Family Advisory Council as part of the development of our strategic plan was critical. This opportunity offered validation around important priorities to focus on, provided new ideas to integrate into planning and through listening to patient and family perspectives, grounded us in the importance of centering our work around the patient and their family in all that we do."

Thank you to all who have thoughtfully engaged in this work over the years, we look forward to continuing to provide meaningful opportunities to shape the experiences of patients and families in the future.

On, June 2^nd join us in asking What Matters to You?

WMTY campaign is a worldwide movement putting the patient voice at the center of care, encouraging, and supporting meaningful conversations between the patients and families who receive healthcare, and the staff, physicians and volunteers who provide it.

Taking part is easy! It includes three simple steps:  

1)    Ask what matters…

We encourage you to embed this question into your practice each and every day

Ask your patients and families “What are the things that are important to you at the moment?” or “What can I do to best support you in your care today?”

2)    Listen to what matters…

Listen with the intent of gaining a better understanding of what is important to patients and families. With this crucial insight, we are in a much better position to partner with patients in their care journey.

3)    Do what matters…

Providing care that focuses on the needs of patients and families leads to stronger partnerships, improved treatment and health outcomes, patient safety, and an overall better care experience.

Events:

Check out the display and share “What Matters to You? throughout the day in the main gathering space!

For more information go to  AHS.ca/wmty