Anthony Dello Russo
Advisor

I first learned of PFAC at a Jeanes Campus/Temple Hospital-sponsored seminar. 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 the 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.  I hope that, in time, I can help patients and their families experience the same care and understanding 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 am very involved with the Fox Chase Civic Association and subcommittees and serve as a block captain for Rockwell Avenue.

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

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 as my medical treatment provider.

Professionally, I have 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 developing and filing the initial Personal Choice products. I also worked for 20 years as a manager in the provider contracts department, facilitating credentialing and contracting with all ancillary healthcare providers, including surgicenters, home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities, and individual physician contracts.

Upon retiring in 2013, I needed to give back to the community and commenced volunteering at Jeanes Campus and the Medical Mission Sisters. I also volunteer and serve on the Friends of Ryerss Museum and Library board, as Treasurer of the Friends of Ryerrs Museum, as a member of the Fox Chase Civic Association, and help coordinate the Love Your Park clean-up events for Burholme Park. 

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 goodbye; 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 the 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 the 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 and 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 in their lives.

I am a St. Cecilia’s Bereavement Team member and serve on several boards, including the Board of Aldersgate Youth Services Bureau, the Jeanes’ Hospital Community Advisory Board, and the Anna Jeanes Foundation Board.

James Pollock
Advisor

Residing in the Fox Chase community for 45 years, Jeanes Campus became our family’s medical home early on. Our parents’ hospitalizations, children’s and grandchildren’s medical and emergency room visits, and my wife’s and my primary care and outpatient testing have been centered at Jeanes for most of this time.

I retired after a 40-year career in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Although not a medical person, I knew a major principle of public health has always been the importance of having easily accessible quality medical care available to individuals and families.

My family and I have been fortunate to have had quality medical care close at hand during our time in the community, and I am hoping that my serving as a PFAC advisor will allow me to make accessing that same quality care as easy as possible for others.

Carolyn Short
Advisor

It means a lot to me to be a part of the PFAC at Temple Jeanes Campus, both personally and professionally. Having been on both sides of the experience, I am eager to do my part in helping to advance satisfying patient/family-centered care experiences.

I never imagined I would be so personally involved in this side of the experience, but that all changed 3 years ago. My son was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening connective tissue disorder known as Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. While we have had some wonderful experiences, I say we because I am his advocate, we have also had some very challenging experiences. I'm sure having a rare disorder does not help our number of challenging encounters, but some could have definitely had a higher-quality outcome. I am now determined and now have the opportunity to use the knowledge I have gained from my experiences to hopefully help others gain the experience they are looking for when an event occurs. Jeanes Campus is our neighborhood ER, which, thankfully, we have only had to visit one time so far and hopefully not again for a long time. In the meantime, I am working to make our and our provider's experience the best that it can be under the circumstances.

Professionally, I have been in the medical field for 25 years as a Mammography Technologist. In July of 2023, I became part of the Jeanes Campus as the Temple University Health System Mammography Navigator. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to help direct patients through the detection and result process of mammography and to work every day doing something I am so passionate about.

I believe the most important aspect that I have learned going through these experiences is that listening and communication are essential during patient/family encounters. Sometimes, just taking a few extra minutes can make all the difference to having a pleasant experience!

Executive Sponsors

Dr. Rebecca Armbruster, Chief Medical Officer

Maria Solitro, AVP of Nursing

Denise Nawalany, Rehabilitation & Orthopedics

Delinda Pendleton, PFAC Liaison

Rosemarie Schlegel, Volunteers

Kristen Smith, Performance Improvement