Cape Cod Healthcare Celebrates National Volunteer Week

CCHC Celebrates National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week - April 27 through May 3

HYANNIS -  Cape Cod Healthcare, the largest employer on Cape Cod, is pleased to once again celebrate National Volunteer Week (April 27 – May 3). Volunteers are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of the healthcare system on the Cape, and the organization is delighted to recognize and thank them for all they do.

“In an era of diminished health care reimbursement and increasing demand for services, volunteers are even more important than ever,” said Stephen Abbott, President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “They are a major part of our hospitals on the Cape.”

There are more than 1,000 volunteers in the Cape Cod Healthcare system, ranging in age from 13 to 95. In total they provide well over 150,000 hours of volunteer service annually to Cape Cod Hospital, Falmouth Hospital and the VNA of Cape Cod.  To put that in the context of a 40 hour work week, that adds up to 72 years of donated services each year.  If Cape Cod Healthcare had to pay even minimum wage for these services, the value would exceed $1.2 million annually.

“In an era of diminished health care reimbursement and increasing demand for services, volunteers are even more important than ever,” said Stephen Abbott, President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “They are a major part of our hospitals on the Cape.”

A substantial number of Cape Cod Healthcare volunteers dedicate themselves to improving the patient experience at the hospitals in a variety of ways, including:

• Greeting and assisting patients and visitors.
• Transporting patients to their room after admission or to and from other hospital departments.
• Acting as patient representatives – by visiting patients, listening to issues they may have and directing these concerns to an appropriate staff member.

Some examples of volunteer stalwarts include:

• Louise Mann, Cape Cod Hospital. Louise has logged almost 7,000 volunteer hours at the hospital since 1976, primarily in the ER, but also in APA. Louise was a Special Education Teacher in the Barnstable School System for many years. Before that, she was in the Navy Hospital Core (WWll) as a Pharmacist Mate.
• Leslie “Les” Wrigley, Falmouth Hospital. Les retired from Connecticut after a 39-year career as a chemistry teacher.  Since 1996 he has been volunteering in the emergency department, running errands, helping deliver patients to test areas or the clinical floors, and stocking supply shelves.  He comes in at least five nights per week. Les has logged over 15,700 hours and the staff in the emergency department considers him a member of their care team.
• Marcia Blech has logged over 3,200 hours volunteering with the Visiting Nurse Association. Marcia sorts through thousands of pieces of donated clothing, house wares, bric-a-brac, and sundries at the VNA’s thrift shop. She makes sure the quality of each item meets the high standards of the Thriftique.

No story about hospital volunteers would be complete without mentioning the outstanding Hospital Auxiliaries. Both the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary and the Falmouth Hospital Auxiliary have long, distinguished histories of supporting their hospitals. They consist of wonderful, committed individuals who have helped provide services and technology that the hospitals might not otherwise have without their efforts.

Later in the month, on May 17th, there will be a Volunteer Fair in Cape Cod Hospital’s Martins Conference Room from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Plan on attending if you are interested in volunteering at Cape Cod Hospital, Fontaine Medical Center in Harwich, the CCH Auxiliary Gift Shop, and CCH Thrift Shop or if you are interested in joining the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary. There will be volunteers from a variety of positions and members of the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary present. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available including information desk, pastoral care, gift shop, patient registration, clerical etc. Minimum age to volunteer is 13 years old. You may call Janet Benson, Manager of Volunteer Services at 508-862-5259 for further information. 

“Our volunteers are a diverse group of people,” added Stephen Abbott, “but what binds them together is a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others by sharing their time and talent. We offer a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our volunteers.”

Release courtesy of CCHC.

Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians, 4,500 employees and 1,100 volunteers, Cape Cod Healthcare has two-acute care hospitals, the largest home health services agency on the Cape (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org.