Photo above: Phyllis Hill (far left) and community member Lai Chu (third from left) at a ceremony to recognize their involvement in interviewing and selecting community members to serve on SRH’s first Community Advisory Council.

When Kristy Macdonell thinks of Phyllis Hill, she remembers a person who was passionate about sharing her voice as a patient and community member to shape the health care experience for others.

“As one of our longest-serving Patient Family Advisors (PFAs), Phyllis used her health care story to help create a high quality health care system within Scarborough and West Durham Region,” said Kristy, Manager of Patient and Family Centred Care at Scarborough and Rouge Hospital (SRH).

Phyllis died peacefully on June 10 at SRH’s General site following a short illness.

Phyllis began volunteering with the Community Advisory Group at SRH’s legacy organization Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) in fall of 2008. From there, she also became a PFA at RVHS in 2016 and subsequently at SRH.

Phyllis contributed to a variety of initiatives throughout the organization, including facilitation of focus groups on end-of-life care, accreditation planning, patient experience improvements, development of the Quality Improvement Plan, strategic planning, and pressure ulcer prevention. Most recently, Phyllis was selected to join SRH’s Senior Leadership Team as a PFA. She was also recognized by the SRH Board of Directors for her involvement in interviewing and selecting community members to serve on SRH’s first Community Advisory Council.

Phyllis’ support for the local health care system extended beyond SRH.  In 2017, she was appointed to serve on the Scarborough South Sub-Region Planning Table for the Central East Local Health Integration Network.

In addition to her volunteer work, Phyllis had a distinguished career as an educator in the East York and Toronto school boards, which included roles as a teacher, vice principal, principal, and superintendent.

“We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Phyllis’ family and friends,” said Michele James, Vice President, People and Transformation at SRH, who partnered extensively with Phyllis over the past decade in her various volunteer roles.

“Although Phyllis will be greatly missed as both a PFA and as a friend, her humour and storytelling will live on through our memories of her.”