Bill Klein’s life is closely intertwined with health care, from his mother being a nurse to both of his daughters working in the field. But it was the culmination of his experiences as a patient—especially his most recent ones—that led him to give back.
Four days after Christmas in 2020, Bill went to CMC for what he and his wife thought would be a somewhat urgent but fairly routine stent placement. “My wife dropped me off and said ‘see you this afternoon.’ A few hours later the doctor called her and said they couldn’t do anything via the catheter,” he recalls. By New Year’s Eve he was in surgery for a five-way bypass.
His heart condition, it turns out, was genetic. One week he was extremely fit and active, the next he was having open heart surgery. While that was fairly traumatic, “Back then during COVID it was more difficult for my wife than for me,” he says, because of visitor restrictions in place at the time. “I had such fantastic, compassionate care. It was amazing. The surgery was successful, the recovery was great. The Cardiac Rehab crew was so good, they made me want to come to class, made me feel great.”
Bill was an avid outdoor athlete and thrilled when he was cleared six weeks after surgery to cross country ski again. He resumed his active lifestyle but in July 2022, he found himself in the CMC Emergency Department after losing vision in his right eye.
“From the moment I got here that day, the ED experience was the exact opposite of what I thought it would be. I was taken in immediately, people knew who I was, what my condition was. Every single person from doctors to LPNs to transport people, everybody was unbelievable.”
Bill’s vision eventually returned and he was released with a medication change. But while he was in the ED, he observed how everyone interacted and cared for all the patients that day. Then he wrote a letter complimenting his care and what he witnessed.
“Madison (CMC’s Patient Experience Specialist) called and asked if I would be interested in the PFAC.”
The PFAC is the Patient & Family Advisory Council where former patients and patient family members volunteer their time to gather and give feedback and improve communication and the patient experience. Bill, who is now semi-retired, was eager to share his experience with others and help give a voice to CMC patients. In addition to joining the PFAC, he also signed up as a volunteer with the Caring Hearts program. He is able to draw on his own experience to help make heart surgery patients and their families feel comfortable and understood.
“When I go into a room, one of the first things I say is that the reason I’m here is because I was a patient here and I want to give back because I had a fantastic experience. The experience I had in one of the worst years in health care made me really appreciate what these people are doing. Then I ask a few questions and get some feedback from people—what should we continue, what should we change. I want to help the patient, the family members, and patients in the future have the very best experience possible. I want to work with the staff too, because we’re all in this together and we all want the best care.”