More {{ vm.segmentName}} News
View All {{ vm.segmentName }} News
Quick Facts:
Springfield
Lauren Jones’ brother has profound hearing loss and relies on a cochlear implant. Growing up in southwest Missouri, Lauren and her family had to travel to Kansas City and St. Louis to see the medical specialists who could care for her brother. Now, she is one of six community members on Children’s Mercy with Mercy’s new patient family advisory committee (PFAC), which is working to help families who will benefit from care closer to home.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see so many parents on the PFAC,” Jones said. “While I don’t have the same type of journey as many of these families, I’m learning a lot hearing about their experience.” Jones is the clinic director of speech and audiology services at the MSU Collaborative Care Clinic, where she works with patients who transition between healthcare services at MSU and in the Springfield community.
When she learned about the PFAC, she saw it as a chance to learn more about how the patient experience could improve while adding her own experience to the conversation.
“My parents frequently had to take time off work to take my brother to see specialists in bigger cities,” Jones said. “Even as a child, I knew this was hard on my family. When I heard about the work Children’s Mercy and Mercy are doing to enhance pediatric specialty care in Springfield, I knew I wanted to be involved. If I can provide any kind of perspective or advice that helps families who find themselves in a similar situation as my family, I’ll feel like I’ve made a difference.”
When Mercy and Children’s Mercy officially teamed up in 2025 to enhance pediatric specialty care for kids across southwest Missouri, they quickly began working to form a patient family advisory committee. The search for PFAC members began in October 2025, as parents began contacting both hospital systems to express their interest in the work. Children’s Mercy with Mercy’s new PFAC had its first meeting in April of this year and welcomed six community members to the committee.
Children’s Mercy has more than 20 PFACs already in place.
“These groups ensure patients and their family members have a voice at the table,” said Debbie Schwartzkopf, chief administrative officer for Children’s Mercy with Mercy. “Their experience and perspective are vital as we design and build pediatric clinics and expand our hospital services. Our PFAC collaborates with hospital leadership to ensure the highest level of quality, safety and experience of care is provided to every patient and family. They strive to support the mission of the partnership, promote communication between staff and families, provide ongoing feedback to collaboratively problem solve for solutions that are patient-and-family-centered; and incorporate diverse perspectives representing the populations served. PFAC members play an active role in incorporating the perspective of patients, families and community into the care experience.”
PFAC members will serve two-year terms, and the goal of the committee is two-fold. First, PFAC members will help educate the community about the services Children’s Mercy with Mercy provides. Second, members will provide community input and guidance as the two health systems enhance pediatric care in Springfield. Since the committee’s creation, the group has already met with several leaders and providers who are working on the Children’s Mercy with Mercy collaboration. The group has also been tasked with creating an online resource hub for pediatric patients and their families.
“During my 30 years with Children’s Mercy, I’ve had the privilege of working with several PFACs and seeing the impact their voice and their work have on the care we provide children,” Schwartzkopf said. “Now that we’re launching our very first PFAC in Springfield, I’m so excited to see how these families will help us bring the very best care to kids in our community.”
Members of the PFAC include Stacy and Dustin Atwood, Ashlea Cardin, Stefanie Hohensee, Lauren Jones and Shannon Nevins.
Mercy and Children’s Mercy officially began their collaboration to enhance pediatric care for kids across southwest Missouri in August 2025. As Children’s Mercy brings its pediatric expertise to Springfield, the joint venture will create a seamless pediatric system of care that strengthens coordination between providers, supports community clinicians and improves access—so more kids can get the specialized care they need, when they need it, close to home.
Through the collaboration, Children’s Mercy began management for a wide range of hospital-based pediatric services starting in November 2025 including:
Pediatric Inpatient Care
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Pediatric Surgery
Pediatric Emergency Department (Peds ED)
Pediatric Outpatient Procedures (POPs)
Child Life Services
Pediatric Social Work
Pediatric Respiratory Therapy
Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy
Along with naming key leaders within the organization, Children’s Mercy with Mercy marked a major milestone in the creation of its new Children’s Mercy with Mercy O’Reilly Pediatric Center. A celebratory beam raising event was held May 12 as community leaders, care team members, supporters and families signed the ceremonial beam before it was lifted into place—marking continued progress on a new dedicated pediatric outpatient facility designed specifically for children and families in southwest Missouri.
The O’Reilly Pediatric Center is being built on Mercy’s South campus in Springfield and will bring Mercy Primary Pediatrics and Children’s Mercy pediatric specialists together under one roof, providing a centralized location for comprehensive pediatric services. The two-story, 40,000-square-foot outpatient center reflects the shared commitment of Children’s Mercy and Mercy Springfield Communities to improve access, care delivery and care coordination.
