Thank Salem Health volunteers next week

15 Apr 2018

Volunteer labor alone saved $1.3 million last year

By: Cheryl Wolfe, President and CEO

 

From April 15 to 21 we celebrate volunteers for their compassion, care and helping hands. Thanks to Volunteer Services staff, we’re tracking not only the footsteps of our 500-plus volunteers, but all the “little things” they do.

For instance, they:

• Help with 2,080 patient discharges a month (four days a week, 10 times a day).
• Delivered 1,440 flower arrangements last year… and 500 bereavement packets.
• Sewed 298 holiday stockings for babies.
• Guide visitors to patient rooms in the ED up to 150 times a day, not to mention wayfinding throughout campus.
• Transported 743 West Valley Hospital patients in Connections Van to medical appointments.
• Created 3,120 “patient belonging bags” (60 bags a week).
• Serve about 55 cups of free coffee on each three-hour shift.
• Provided 570 pet therapy visits in four months –- to both visitors and staff.
• Walked people to elevators 2,054 times last year. That doesn’t include helping people to restrooms, medical records, clinics and with wheelchairs.
• Raised money for scholarships through special projects.
• By no means is this a complete list!

To add another figure, they gave $1.3 million in labor last year, based on what we’d have to pay for this level of work in the private sector. 

Volunteers bring invaluable experience because they’re already “Olympic champions” in other fields. Many have retired from careers in medicine, teaching, business and police work, to name a few.

Join me in honoring our volunteers this week. We couldn’t care for our community without them. They deserve a medal.