Italia
Folleco,
MA
Chair, Patient/Family Advisory Council
Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Italia Folleco is a therapist, educator, and couples group facilitator. She volunteers at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and is the current chair of the Patient & Family Advisory Council, and a member of the hospital's Behavioral Health Committee. Italia holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bloomfield College, a master’s degree from Kean College in Counseling Psychology, and earned a post-masters certificate and completed doctoral work at Nova Southeastern University in Systemic Marriage and Family Therapy. Italia’s passion for helping families facing life’s greatest challenges stems from her journey as a parent who lost her 12 yo daughter to the side effects of chemotherapy for the treatment of Osteosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. Italia was the recipient of the "2023 Spirit of Healing Award" from Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, an award that recognizes excellence, community service, and a commitment to the hospital system.
Presenting at the Nexus Summit:
Seminar Description: The patient and family-engaged care (PFEC) model is considered to be best practice by healthcare policymakers and researchers and supports the Quadruple Aim. This model calls for collaboration between patients and families with healthcare professionals recognizing their critical stakeholder perspectives. The landmark National Academy of Medicine reports, Crossing the Quality Chasm and To Err is Human documented unprecedented medical errors across the US healthcare system and spearheaded the move to PFEC. Since that time, academicians and health policymakers recognized the…