Patient Engagement: A Mom Transforms Experience to Advocacy at UH
Most people find their careers. Chrissie Blackburn’s found her.
As the mother of a medically fragile daughter, she spent countless hours in hospitals and doctors’ offices. This deep experience with complex healthcare – good and bad – turned Mrs. Blackburn into a champion for patients and their families.
Sadly, Chrissie passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, but her legacy lives on. As University Hospitals’ first Principal Advisor of Patient and Family Engagement, Chrissie set the bar high, showing patients, families and caregivers how to be a winning team.
Her passion, experience and expertise in reshaping healthcare around patients’ and families’ needs are the guiding forces for our Patient and Family Advisory Council today.
“The most important thing a hospital can do for a patient,” Mrs. Blackburn said, “is to positively partner with them and their family.”
Dealing with daughter Lily’s complex care needs inspired Chrissie Blackburn to become a nationally known advocate for patient engagement. Lily was the reason why Chrissie poured her heart and soul into doing everything she could to improve care for patients and families in the future.
Her journey began in San Diego in 2007, when daughter Lily was born with an extremely rare and complex disorder that caused a host of physical malformations. Surgeries and checkups became a family routine. As the list of specialists and appointments grew, so did the practical and emotional challenges of coordinating Lily’s care. Too often, the system seemed to be designed around hospitals and doctors, instead of patients. There had to be better ways, Mrs. Blackburn knew, and she set out to find them.
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The Blackburns moved back home so Lily could receive care at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Looking for support, Mrs. Blackburn joined Rainbow’s Family Advisory Council. There she found families addressing similar challenges with hospital leaders committed to finding solutions. That fueled her passion.
“I dove in head first, joining national councils and researching the many efforts and best practices emerging in healthcare quality,” Mrs. Blackburn recalled.
She went from student to instructor, building a national reputation as an advocate for patient engagement and caregiver empathy. Her expertise and charisma impressed UH senior leaders, who created a new role for Mrs. Blackburn. Chrissie created systems that encourage patients, their families and their caregivers to collaborate around teamwork and communication.