Patient Advocate Services

Hospitalization and illness can be very stressful and disruptive for the patient, their family and friends. It is normal for you to experience emotions that may make it difficult for you to express your needs and concerns. There are occasions when you may need someone other than the care staff to speak for you.

Our patient advocate serves as a liaison between patients, their care team, and the hospital. They listen to your concerns, respond to complaints, explain hospital policies and procedures, and provide information on community services and insurance coverage.

The advocate’s responsibility is to ensure that patient and family issues and concerns are heard and addressed appropriately and as quickly as possible. They coordinate, investigate, and work to resolve patient and family concerns or grievances by providing a formal mechanism for investigating patient complaints and follow-up with hospital staff to facilitate the resolution. Their goal is to resolve conflicts to maximize quality patient care so the patient’s stay can be purely focused on their recovery.

The patient advocate may be contacted at (970) 256-6291, by email at salfstad@gjhosp.org.

Ethics Committee

The rapid advancement of medical technology and treatment has led to situations that can perplex even the most knowledgeable and most compassionate among us.
Ethical concerns and issues faced by patients and their families have become complex.

With so many new technologies and new choices, it is sometimes difficult to know whether we are making the decision that is best for our loved one.

Fortunately, Community Hospital’s Ethics Committee can help by offering information and assistance.
Community Hospital’s Ethics Committee is made up of healthcare providers and community representatives who are committed to high quality healthcare being provided to all patients:

1. Physicians from various specialties
2. Hospital senior management
3. Hospital chaplains
4. Professionals committed to social work, patient rights, advance directives, intensive care, and organ/tissue donation.

Supportive Consultation
The Ethics Committee is available to assist patients and their families if they are having difficulty determining the right choices.

A consultation with representatives of the committee may help all participants to better understand what the choices are and to clarify the values involved in the decision. The ethics consultation group serves as a sounding board.

Consultations are confidential and advisory. A patient and family’s right to privacy and sensitive treatment of their concerns is always respected.

What Can You Do as a Patient?
The following are ways you can be prepared to make hard healthcare decisions:

1. Have a patient/physician conversation about what your choices for treatment and what your values are.
2. Discuss and prepare Medical Advance Directives, such as a Medical Durable Power of Attorney.
3. Attend Community Hospital ethics educational programs.
4. Attend public forums and presentations on bio-medical ethics issues and debates.
5. The public library, Community Hospital’s website, and the Internet have helpful publications for all levels of interest.

Request an Ethics Committee consult by speaking to any staff member, or by contacting the Patient Advocate at 970 256 6291.

Colorado Advance Directives

The Colorado Advance Directives Consortium (CADC) is an informal organization of professionals in health care, senior services, law, and ethics dedicated to improving the tools and processes for healthcare decision making in Colorado.

Click here to learn more about Advance Directives in Colorado and MOST form (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment).