Patient & Family Council Members
Objectives of the Council
Our Patient & Family Council partners with staff on a wide range of short to long-term activities from those at the organizational level such as strategic planning to program specific to ensure the patient/family are at the centre of what we do.
Council Members:
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Susan Honeyman is dedicated to helping GGH to further promote patient and family-centered care - especially the idea of patients and professionals making health care decisions together.
As a retired, regulated health professional, she would also like to assist with:
- making hospital and health information understandable and available for all
- ensuring the rights of patients
- supporting career-long professional learning
- and striving towards the timely delivery of health services
Sue is also very interested in the further development of GGH community partnerships, especially with family doctors and community therapists. She and her family will be forever thankful to GGH and its dedicated team for saving the lives of five of her own family members over recent years
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Marion has a great interest in the Canadian public health system and the challenges it faces, and wants to contribute to direct improvements at home in Guelph. She desires to use her experience as a caregiver to a child who required lengthy and complex medical care to improve services and policies using her unique point of view of both acute and chronic care. She has a lengthy history and breadth of experience as caregiver at four hospitals - Guelph General Hospital, Sick Kids in Toronto, McMaster Hospital in Hamilton, and Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. She often found herself interacting with patient representatives and other staff/management there to address best practices, policies and procedures.
Her ability to work effectively with multi-stakeholders and guide projects from start to finish will be an asset to the committee. Marion holds a degree in zoology from Western University (1991) and an environmental engineering degree from University of Guelph (1995). She is a professional engineer; however her attention has turned to financial planning where she has developed a loyal clientele at IG Wealth Management in Guelph. Her favourite role is being the mother of three daughters, ages 9, 15 and 17.
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Gwen Sharp learned about the creation of the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Guelph General Hospital and immediately knew this was her opportunity to provide useful input from firsthand knowledge toward improving the patient and family experience. Gwen’s world changed in 2013 when a car accident left her a tetraplegic and life in a wheelchair began. She has received treatment at five area hospitals and draws on this to inform her unique perspective as both able-bodied and person with disabilities accessing hospital care.
Gwen is married and together they have two children, one with physical disability who required intensive therapies for many years. Prior to her accident, Gwen worked thirty-six years at post-secondary institutions in various capacities such as student records and advising, department administration and management team member. She brings to PFAC a wide range of skills in problem solving, project management, critical thinking, effective communication, and team building. Gwen is looking forward to “giving back” to the hospital community to help the system be more user friendly and patient and family centred.
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I am a long time Guelph resident of 35 years, originally from the UK. I came here with a young family, two daughters, who have grown up in the city and now have children of their own (I have four grandsons). Because of this, over the years, we have had many interactions (births, everyday life, death (my wife)) with Guelph General Hospital and the local health care system.
There were quite a few times when I wished things could have been done a little better. Because of this I am hoping to contribute in a positive way to our new Patient and Family Advisory Council.
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For the first 54 years of my life, I was proud to say that I had never spent a night in a hospital nor had I ever undergone surgery of any kind. That all changed on March 1st, 2017. That day I was carrying a heavy load and my left foot slipped off of a sidewalk. I went over on my ankle and all of the weight went into my right leg. What followed after that was a loud audible snap and a face plant on the ground. Being a long distant runner for many years, I was familiar with knee pain but this was different, much different. To make a long story short, I had severed my quadriceps tendon from my knee and ended up experiencing both surgery and a couple of nights at Guelph General Hospital.
For me, the hospital part of this experience was an entirely positive experience. My surgeon was very approachable and explained my surgery and what would follow in terms that were understandable and very helpful. The nursing staff could not have been better. As a vegetarian who is on a dairy and gluten free diet, not only was the dietary staff able to accommodate me, but the food was actually very good. As a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council, I like to think that I bring a fresh perspective to this work. Although I have served on several Community Boards in the past, I am unfamiliar with the workings of a large healthcare facility. Being able to look at situations and practices with what I would call “fresh eyes” is, I believe, helpful to any organization.
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Suzanne is passionate about health and wellbeing and an advocate for the voice of patients and families in the healthcare system. She brings experience in assisting her elderly parents and young children to access patient care.
She works for the City of Guelph as Advisor Corporate Strategy and Reporting. She is a project management professional (PMP) with a focus on business improvement practices, change initiatives, and collaboration. She brings to the committee knowledge in human-centred design, process improvement tools, strategic planning, and problem solving. She is passionate about customer service excellence and quality care.
