Reprinted with permission,
Courtesy, Asbury Park Press, a Gannett Co. newspaper.
BY
VINCE MILLER
ASBURY PARK PRESS STAFF WRITER
|
- Anyone
admitted to Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, is likely
to come across one of the hospital's 350 volunteers at some
point.
According to Louise Shivers, coordinator of the hospital's Office
of Volunteer Services, the volunteers' duties range from carrying
newspapers and books to patient beds to relaying a patient's
wishes to a department supervisor — a new practice called
patient advocacy.
According to Kathy Kelly, assistant executive director at the
hospital, Shivers wrote a script that the patient advocate on
duty can use to determine patient wishes and respond to those
requests.
"It's been extremely successful so far," Kelly said.
Shivers said a volunteer patient advocate will visit all medical
patients — exclusive of the pediatrics, maternity and psychiatric
wards — and ask if there is anything the patient may
want.
"It could range from picking up a newspaper to help with choosing
menu items or passing on information to family members," she
said.
Shivers recalled one example.
"There was a woman who drove herself to the emergency room one
day and was subsequently admitted," Shivers said. "Her car was
parked in a no-parking area and she had forgotten where, so she
informed the patient advocate. He contacted security and they
found and reparked the car for her."
Usually, volunteers are involved with patient comfort, reception,
or clerical work.
Volunteers in the main lobby meet and greet visitors and direct
them to the proper area. Also, a blue-blazered volunteer for
the Security Department makes sure all visitors are wearing the
identification sticker they receive at the front desk.
Clerical volunteers carry books, newspapers and food, and run
errands in many of the hospital's 100 departments.
"We have volunteers in 65 to 70 of those departments," Shivers
said.
Other volunteers tend to patient comfort.
Volunteers range in age from 14 to the 90s.
"Our volunteers need to have some maturity, and we feel 14 is
the youngest age at which a person would qualify," Shivers said.
Frances "Dolly" Guzzi, at 92, is probably the oldest in terms
of age and service. She's been a volunteer in the hospital nursery
since 1968.
The process that any volunteer must go through is an initial
application followed by an interview with Shivers.
"In that interview we will discuss the applicant's background,
what they used to do, what they like to do, and what is available," Shivers
said. "They may want to do something entirely different from
what they had done in the past."
That is followed by a four-hour orientation in hospital policy
and procedures. On the starting day, the volunteer is introduced
to the department head.
Women volunteers are given pink smocks to wear; men, blue blazers,
and teenagers, red polo shirts.
"It's important for visitors to know who's who, and it's important
for us as well to know (the volunteers), so we perform background
checks on all adults," Shivers said.
Kelly said the roles of volunteers have changed over time.
"They don't just deliver newspapers anymore," she said. "Many
are versed in computer usage and can almost fill full-time positions.
"They are a tremendous backup, a terrific supplemental staff," she
said.
Shivers, of Neptune, has been employed by Monmouth Medical Center
30 years, the last 18 in public relations, and 10 of those in
her current position.
At 49 she isn't contemplating retirement any day soon, but when
she does, she'll be doing what she now supervises.
"If I'm not volunteering here I'll be volunteering somewhere," she
said.
"I love older people because I'm going to be there myself someday," Shivers
said. "It's nice to be needed and wanted.
"I can't wait to get my pink smock."
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