For the people, by the people: How Sentara involves patients and families in healthcare decision making

Being a patient is never easy—even Sentara Leigh Hospital President Joanne Inman admits that a trip to the doctor’s office can be intimidating. 

“People feel the authority gradient and may hesitate to ask questions or voice concerns. I experience it myself. Even as someone very familiar with healthcare, when I go to my doctor’s office, I don’t always fully advocate for myself,” said Inman, president of Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. 

“As hospital leaders, we are responsible for creating an environment in which people feel safe to speak up and empowering them to use their voice.” 

A seat at the table

In the early 2000s, health systems began to recognize the importance of allowing patients and families to have a voice in healthcare decisions. 

This prompted Sentara to establish patient family advisory councils — a volunteer group of former patients and family members — who help hospital leaders see things from a patients’ perspective.  

“When they're thinking about implementing specific initiatives in the hospital, they'll come to us and say, ‘What do you think?’” said Gary Nelson, retired Army colonel and chair of the patient family advisory council at Sentara Leigh Hospital. “We're not just tagging along. They acknowledge us and seek our feedback.”

Bradley Roteman (center), his late wife Carol Roteman (left), and Jacquelyn Peterson proudly represent Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center’s patient family advisory council at a health fair. 

When patient family advisors at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge, Virginia, toured the hospital’s newly remodeled level three trauma center, they said the light blue walls, pretty decor, and new weapons detector made them feel safe and secure. 

“Everything was going great, and then they sat in the waiting room, and went, ‘These are the most uncomfortable chairs,’ so we’re in the process of ordering new ones,” said Christy Grabus, chief nursing officer at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. 

“We get so busy when we’re rolling things out, that sometimes it's just a matter of getting somebody else's perspective. It enhances what we do, which I absolutely love.”

Each month, patient family advisors host a meeting where hospital leaders have a chance to answer their questions and provide them with the latest updates. 

“When we opened our wound healing center, I shared it in a local newsletter that reaches 1,600 seniors in the area,” said George Davis, co-chair of the patient family advisory council at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “They know the service is there even if they don’t have the need right now.”

‘We've earned credibility’

For patient family advisors like Doug Richendollar, the most rewarding part of volunteering is seeing his contributions make a difference. 

“I would say the biggest thing we've earned is credibility,” said Richendollar, a retired Virginia Beach sheriff’s deputy. “They’ve seen how we improve satisfaction because patients feel like they’re being listened to.”

A case in point: In 2024, both Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center and Sentara Leigh Hospital became the first two hospitals in Virginia to receive Magnet with Distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. 

This national honor recognizes a hospital’s superior quality of nursing, teamwork, and the ability to provide world-class patient care. 

Left to right: Joanne Inman, president of Sentara Leigh Hospital; patient family advisors Gary Nelson, Rosetta Guns, and Doug Richendollar; and Chief Nursing Offer, Karen Kemp celebrate receiving Magnet with Distinction.

“In our formal document to Magnet surveyors, we shared how our patient family advisors helped us create the whiteboards which hang in patient rooms,” said Grabus, whose hospital in Woodbridge became one of the first in the country to earn Magnet with Distinction.

“Thirty percent of our patient population is Spanish speaking, so the whiteboards have English on one side and Spanish on the other. We flip it depending on the patient’s communication needs.”

If you’re going to have a successful patient family advisory council, you really have to listen, said Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center President Jeff Joyner.

“Even if we can’t implement their idea, they need to know we are taking what they say into consideration,” said Joyner. “They are our lifeline to understanding how the community feels about us and what they truly want when it comes to the care they receive.”

Building trust and perspective 

Patient family advisors regularly meet with patients throughout the hospital to get real-time feedback about their experience.

“When we say we’re volunteers, I think the barriers come down because they don't see us as employees of the hospital,” said Rosetta Guns, retired school social worker and patient family advisor at Sentara Leigh Hospital. 

“One patient just really poured her heart out. There were things that probably should have come out sooner, but luckily, she told me, and we shared it with her doctor and nurse.”

Left to right: Kay Sourbeer, Rosetta Guns, Doug Richendollar, and Andy Thomchick attend Sentara Leigh Hospital’s first patient family advisory council meeting of 2025 and discuss goals for the year.

Serving alongside Guns on Sentara Leigh Hospital’s patient family advisory council is Andy Thomchick, a 34-year-old Navy medic, who’s finishing up his master’s in healthcare administration. 

“This really is an unbelievable opportunity. Being able to make a real impact is both humbling and meaningful,” said Thomchick. 

“I’m trying to convince my medic buddies to join because we can bring a different generational perspective and relate to the veteran community in Hampton Roads.”

In 2025, Inman would like to extend the role of patient family advisors by having them become more integrated with the hospital's community outreach plans. 

“For me the patient family advisory council is part of our journey to becoming our best,” said Inman. “It’s giving us insight into how our patients and our community experience us which helps us improve the care we give.”

If you’d like to partner with Sentara to improve the health of your community, consider volunteering as a member of a patient family advisory council. For more information call 1-800-SENTARA (1-800-736-8272).