MHA Society for Hospital Auxilians & Volunteers

SRH unveils final mural

Joined by members of the SRH Auxiliary and SRH Staff, SRH Administrator Lynn Truelove, Auxiliary past president John Wilkinson and artist Barbara Anglin unveiled the fourth and final mural of a series on display in the SRH All-Spice Cafe.

The project, funded by the SRH Auxiliary, began during the 2006-2007 school year. Pascagoula High School art students were commissioned to complete a four-part panoramic of Pascagoula’s Beach Boulevard. Barbara was the art teacher and supervisor for the project. The first three pieces of the series were installed and unveiled in June 2007.

“We just wanted something here to remind us of how things were,” John explained. “This was tied into our recovery from Katrina. I just hope everyone will notice these and enjoy them. It’s just going to remind us of the shape we were in after Katrina, and how we’ve bounced back.”

Barbara, who has retired from teaching, decided to complete the final mural on her own. “All of the students who painted the other three have graduated and are in college,” she explained, “so they couldn’t get back together and finish the series.”

“Through the years the Hospital has always been so gracious in letting us display the high school students’ art,” Barbara continued. “This is our gift back for being supportive of the arts in Pascagoula.”

Baptist Golden Triangle Honors Volunteers

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle will host a luncheon to honor its volunteers on Tuesday, April 29, at the Baptist Outpatient Pavilion Conference Center.

The 97 active members of the hospital’s Auxiliary have donated 16,894 hours to the hospital during 2007. Auxiliary members average 1,500 to 2,000 hours each month directly to inpatient care areas. Each day, volunteers work in many areas of the hospital. From greeting the public, offering comfort to family members, assisting at the Front Desk and in various departments, volunteers are an important asset to our facility. Each member will be recognized for the hours given to the facility.

Over the past year, the Auxiliary has donated more than $64,000 in items for use by Baptist-Golden Triangle. The most recent donation, in excess of $60,000, was made to the Ambulance Department. The Auxiliary purchased five Stryker® Power-PRO XT stretchers and five Stryker® Stair-PRO stair chairs.

The Stryker® stretchers feature a battery powered hydraulic lift system. The Stryker® stair chairs allow EMS workers to transport patients from areas where it would be impossible for an ambulance cot to reach.

“Members of the Auxiliary are very happy to make these donations to the hospital. We feel blessed and privileged to be able to do this,” said Auxiliary President Ann Cumberland.

“Our volunteers work so hard, and we can never thank them enough for what they do,” said Paul Cade, interim administrator and CEO of Baptist Golden Triangle. “They play such an important role in our hospitals, and we want them to know we truly appreciate them.”

National Healthcare Volunteer week (April 27 – May 3) recognizes all volunteers for their efforts in improving our communities. .

For more information about becoming a Baptist Golden Triangle volunteer, please call (662) 244-1165.

Jeff Anderson Volunteer Auxiliary installs officers, launches cookbook

Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center's Volunteer Auxiliary celebrated the group's accomplishments in 2007, installed officers for 2008, presented service hour awards and premiered the auxiliary's cookbook at their annual holiday luncheon on Dec. 12.

Rachel Keller, auxiliary coordinator, presented plaques to 2007 officers Sylvia Mercado, president, Laura Jordan, vice president, and Johnnie Nell Alexander, secretary/treasurer. A gift also was presented to each in appreciation of their hard work during the year, Keller said.

Elected to serve in 2008 are Laura Jordan, co- president; Jim Autry, co-president; Pat Kalinowski, vice president; and Johnnie Nell Alexander, secretary/treasurer.

Keller announced that Mercado was named Volunteer of the Year by the Mississippi Hospital Association. In 2007, the Volunteer Auxiliary, along with the youth volunteers, donated 6,900 hours of service.

The auxiliary's cookbook, Recipes to Remember, is available at the Volunteer Desk in the hospital's ICU/CCU lobby. The cost is $10, with proceeds going toward funding community projects supported by the group.

The Jeff Anderson Volunteer Auxiliary was organized in 1982 with the goal of "giving help where help is needed." Auxiliary members staff the information desk, assist with hospital activities/events, deliver mail and flowers, provide layettes to the Nursery, and assist families in the waiting rooms for ICU, CCU, Surgery and Labor & Delivery.

Member activities include donating $12,900 to the Meridian Community College Nursing Program. The auxiliary also helps with many community projects, including The Lions Club Eye Glass Project, The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life Survivors Walk, provides donations of time, money and food to LOVE's Kitchen and works with organizations such as the American Heart Association and the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.

The Volunteer Auxiliary currently has 40 members. Active charter members are Thelma Buie, Dorothy Y. Gleason and Emma Griffin.

[ via The Meridian Star ]

Wesley Medical Center to Present Massage Chair in Memory of Longtime Volunteer, Mrs. Emily Bilbo

Wesley Medical Center’s volunteers and employees will gather on December 4 at 2:00 P.M. in the hospital’s Evergreen Room to present a massage chair to the hospital’s Rehabilitation Department in memory of beloved hospital volunteer, Mrs. Emily Bilbo. Volunteers, friends, family and hospital employees contributed half of the monies needed to purchase the chair, which cost $600, and the hospital contributed the balance.

When asked why they decided to purchase a massage chair, Katherine Pittman, Director of Volunteer Services explains, "Another Wesley volunteer went to the Rehab Department for neck therapy. She asked if the department had a massage chair and was told that they did not. We determined there was a real patient need in Rehab, and since Mrs. Bilbo’s granddaughter, Lori Plumlee worked in the department, we thought it would be a nice way to remember Mrs. Bilbo.”

The massage chair will provide patients with a comfortable chair for upper body therapy and will allow therapists better access to patients during their session.

Mrs. Bilbo’s daughter and granddaughter will attend the presentation ceremony.

Pictures from 2007 annual meeting

See all of the pictures from the annual meeting here.

AHA Certification Center to manage ASDVS program

The AHA Certification Center in January will begin managing the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services’ certification program for volunteer services directors.

“Having this premier credential allows directors of volunteer services to be recognized for their unique involvement in health care,” said ASDVS Executive Director Audrey Harris. “They contribute to patient satisfaction in hospitals and add the human touch through managing volunteers. They contribute to the bottom line by providing support services and through fundraising. Directors of volunteer services also introduce students and others in the community to the possibilities for careers in health care.”

Schmidt Selected as Auxilian of the Quarter

Singing River Hospital has selected Betty Schmidt as Auxilian of the Quarter. As a member of the Auxiliary for over nine years, she volunteers escorting patients throughout the facility.

Schmidt was born in the Howison community in Stone County and grew up in Moss Point. She is a graduate of Moss Point High School and earned a nursing degree from Touro Infirmary School of Nursing in New Orleans.

Before retiring, she worked for 16 years in Bakersfield, Calif. at Greater Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. She and her husband, Arthur, currently live in Moss Point. They are the parents of four children, Maxine, Larry, Kenneth and Thomas, and the grandparents of four. She enjoys reading, gardening and crossword puzzles, and is a member of Dantzler Memorial First United Methodist Church.

"SRH volunteers are a great group," said Schmidt. "The fellowship is evident in cooperation shown toward each other."

Tapping into the volunteer spirit

Grove City (PA) Medical Center has a longstanding volunteer organization with about 200 members. About half of those members volunteer on a regular basis--a testament to the community's loyalty to the hospital. Recently, however, the 95-licensed-bed hospital tapped the services of a different type of volunteer. This past April, with the help of 10 college co-eds, the hospital's emergency department waiting area received a much needed face lift. Robert C. Jackson, Jr., Grove City's chief executive officer, says one of the most important elements of this renovation project--aside from a substantially improved waiting area--was that it attracted a different kind of volunteer.

Read the full article from HealthLeaders Media.

AHA seeks HAVE Award applicants

The American Hospital Association seeks applicants for its 2008 Hospital Awards for Volunteer Excellence, which recognize outstanding volunteer programs. To be eligible for an award, volunteer programs must demonstrate a significant contribution to the hospital field and be affiliated with an AHA institutional member, accomplished by unpaid volunteers and in effect at least one year.

Awards may be given in the following categories: community service programs, in-service hospital volunteer programs, fundraising programs, or community outreach/ collaboration programs. The awards will be presented at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in April 2008.

Auxiliary purchases computer to enhance chaplain services

Rev. Ken Kirk, chaplain at King’s Daugthers Medical Center, was recently issued a laptop computer from the Auxiliary to assist with patient and family communication. The Auxiliary purchased the computer with profits made from the KDMC Gift Shoppe. Auxiliary President Roberta Johnston presented the computer during the monthly Auxiliary meeting.