by Jean Gallant
If you’ve ever had to go to Kemptville District Hospital (KDH)’s Emergency Department, or even walked through the Emergency doors, chances are you were greeted by someone in a red vest. They are volunteers with the Hospital’s Volunteer Program and donate their time to help those arriving at the hospital find their way and navigate through the Hospital.
Although there are currently fewer than a dozen volunteer greeters covering two four-hour shifts on weekdays, they nevertheless provide a friendly welcome to the Hospital during often stressful times in visitors’ lives. Whether you’re there to see a doctor, visit a patient, or have an appointment in X-ray or at one of the clinics, or just want a cup of coffee from the coffee shop, these volunteers provide willing help in a quick and efficient manner. They also provide comfort in the form of colouring books and special hand-made dolls for children in the Emergency waiting room who haven’t brought toys from home, as well as warm blankets and water for those who need them.
The volunteers provide an important first point of contact and their ability to offer timely help to visitors and patients means that critical nursing staff are able to focus on the many other aspects of their work. The volunteers’ caring attitude means that they often take on additional shifts when other volunteers are sick or need some time off.
“We don’t want to leave the Hospital without a volunteer greeter because it makes a difference to be met at the door and helped. “ said Connie Parsons, the KDH Auxiliary’s Volunteer Coordinator. “The absence of a volunteer can also take valuable time away from staff who could be attending to other care activities”, she added. “Our greeters are a terrific team who never leave a shift empty. We would welcome more volunteers to help out.”
Parsons noted that several years ago, there were upwards of 50 volunteers on the Auxiliary’s roster, easily filling the daytime shifts and ensuring volunteer support throughout the Hospital. “A number of our dedicated volunteers retired during COVID when the volunteer program was paused”, she explained, “and despite our recruitment efforts, we haven’t yet been able to replace them.”
KDH’s CEO Frank Vassallo spoke of the Hospital’s deep gratitude to the volunteers and recognition of the impact they have at the Hospital every day. “The role of Hospital volunteer is an important role to improving patients’ experience and delivering exceptional care”, he said. “We are so appreciative of our volunteers’ dedication, compassion and kindness. We continually receive letters from grateful patients letting us know what a difference the volunteers made in their visit to KDH, whether it was in the Emergency Department, Interim Long Term Care Unit, Day Surgery, or elsewhere”. Vassallo added, “The KDH Auxiliary has been a key support for the Hospital since its founding in 1959, a year before our doors even opened.”
In addition to helping out in the Emergency Department, the volunteers serve in other areas of the Hospital, including assisting with meal service, group exercise classes and various other activities in the Interim Long Term Care/Convalescent Care Unit. In this way, volunteers work together with Hospital staff to ensure the best patient care.
If you are considering becoming a volunteer, you’ll enjoy the camaraderie of other volunteers and staff. The personal satisfaction derived from helping others is very gratifying”, explained Parsons. One of our Emergency Department volunteers, Mike, always says that the best day of his week is the day he volunteers at KDH.”
Students are especially encouraged to volunteer after school or on weekends. For more information, or to learn more about becoming a member of the volunteer team, please contact the KDH Auxiliary at kdh_volunteer@kdh.on.ca.