In 2018, Chester County Hospital volunteers logged in close to 46,000 hours and assisted with more than 11,000 discharges and errands. They also crafted 1,890 baby hats, 713 chemotherapy caps and scarves, and 424 Chester Bears. In other words, the hospital would be a very different place without the care and support of its volunteers.
“I’m always getting nice letters, thanking our volunteers for enhancing a patient’s experience,” said Kathy Stocker, director of Volunteer Service, at a special recognition luncheon for the volunteers. One such letter described the above-and-beyond efforts of a volunteer transporter, who helped the elderly parents of a patient who came in for a colonoscopy. The transporter was only supposed to take the patient to her procedure, but he also looked after her parents. “He took them to the waiting area and showed them how to use the coffee machine. The patient said she was really comforted that the volunteer took the time to do that for her parents and helped them feel comfortable.”
On any given day, 50 to 60 hospital volunteers not only help with patient discharges, but also collect and deliver mail (87,525 pieces of it in 2018), transport blood, see that floral arrangements arrive at bedsides, and change bedding. They also chat with patients, helping ease the wait for test results in the Emergency Department (ED). And, for children in the ED, they bring a friend along in the form of a handmade, stuffed Chester Bear.
The luncheon was an opportunity not just to say “thank you” but to also say “we couldn’t do this without you.” Hospital President and CEO Michael J. Duncan showed the volunteers what’s possible, in part, because of their efforts. Focusing on the hospital’s largest expansion in its history, he noted that, with the additional 250,000 square feet under construction, the hospital’s need for volunteer support is only going to continue to grow.