PQC-VT Patient and Family Advisors share in the video below what they hope will come from sharing their experiences, perspectives and voices as a birth parent in Vermont.
What do Patient and Family Advisors do?
Patient and Family Advisors share their lived experiences by bringing their firsthand view on issues that impact pregnant and postpartum people. They provide feedback on policies, programs and health care systems delivery that directly impact pregnant and postpartum people in their community as well as clinical teams who support families.
- Learn more about what the PQC-VT Patient and Family Advisors do and can do (PDF includes QR codes).
- Learn more about how you can become a PQC-VT Patient and Family Advisors (PDF includes hyperlinks).
- Request support from the PQC-VT Patient and Family Advisory Committee to enhance perinatal care in Vermont.
Lived Experiences Storytelling from Individuals with a History of Opioid Use Disorder
Healing through Storytelling
In February 2022, the ICoNS project team hosted a pair of storytelling workshops for individuals with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy and health care professionals who work with parents or families affected by OUD in Vermont. The approach used during the storytelling workshops was based on the narrative medicine model. A foundational belief of this approach is that in teaching and supporting individuals to accept and understand the power of their own stories, it can provide a pathway for them to assist others in recovery. We can attest that each storyteller participating in our initiative had one unified reason to share their story: helping and supporting others in recovery.
Parents with Lived Experience
All rights reserved. No part of these stories may be reproduced, reused, republished, or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the Improving Care of Newborns with Substance Exposure project. Contact: vchip.pqcvt@med.uvm.edu
- Everything Was Readily Available by Heidi (PDF)
- Sunny Side Up by Jessica (PDF)
- The Life I Never Thought I Could Have by Lindsay (PDF)
- Whiskey Oriented Ashlee by Ashlee (PDF)
Community Provider Experiences
All rights reserved. No part of these stories may be reproduced, reused, republished, or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the Improving Care of Newborns with Substance Exposure project. Contact: vchip.pqcvt@med.uvm.edu
- One Thing To Hold On To by Christina (PDF)
- We Can Do Better by Amy (PDF)
- Windshield Therapy by Marcy (PDF)
If you are interested in sharing your story, please send us an email at vchip.pqcvt@med.uvm.edu