Volunteer Recognition

During this National Healthcare Volunteer Week, we would like to take this special opportunity to recognize the support that volunteers provide to WakeMed patients and their families, to hospital staff, and to the community. It is the perfect occasion to focus on the many significant contributions our volunteers make individually and collectively every day to the WakeMed system.

In fiscal year 2010:

• 1,408 individual volunteers gave a combined 123,973 hours of service throughout the WakeMed Health & Hospitals system to patients, staff and families.
• Volunteer-sponsored fund raisers resulted in over $59,000 of profit used to support WakeMed programs and services.
• 102 departments system wide received support from WakeMed volunteers.
• 6,783 Patient Relations Ambassadors patient visits and surveys were completed, recorded, reported and analyzed.
• 44 teams of Hospitality Pets completed 6,772 visits to patients and made untold numbers of physician, staff and family “touches” in the process.
• Hundreds of huggables and dolls for children and adults, quilts for palliative care and adult patients, booties and caps and burial gowns and blankets and outfits for babies are hand-made by volunteers every year.

WakeMed volunteers escort and guide patients and guests, discharge patients, visit patients, read to children, coordinate visits for families, offer diversionary activities for patients and families, survey patients, and deliver mail and flowers. WakeMed volunteers represent each generation between 14 and 95 years of age. In fact, the WakeMed Board of Directors and members of the WakeMed Foundation are volunteers, contributing invaluable expertise and many hours of support through leadership development, fund-raising and educational awareness.

WakeMed volunteers represent health care providers of the future, the workforce of today, the workforce of yesterday, and those who are dedicated to community support who have either never required nor had an opportunity for monetary compensation. Volunteers are part of WakeMed’s story, part of our success and excited about the vision that they share with us about our future. For all of this and more we simply cannot thank our volunteers enough!

Interested in learning more about volunteering at WakeMed click here.

Susan Hester is WakeMed Director of Community Services.