“They allow us, with our existing budget, to offer more than we could,” said Priscilla Lane, manager of Volunteer Services at Atrium. “They free up time for our staff to care for patients, they add to our customer service ... We couldn’t operate as effectively without them.”
Atrium’s 250 volunteers serve in 45 hospital departments and at offsite facilities such as the Dialysis and Sports Medicine Centers.
They also help with a number of special programs such as the hospital’s gift shop, handmade baby hats and SMILE (chemo) caps.
A few of the volunteers are students, but most, Lane said, are retirees who want to remain active.
One of the volunteers for the hospital formerly known as Middletown has relied on for years is Emma Beebe, 90, of Middletown.
Beebe has volunteered with the hospital since 1962 giving about 23,000 hours of service.
“I enjoy it,” Beebe said. “I can still do stuff ... I meet a lot of people.”
Beebe was among 39 other longtime volunteers honored by the hospital in April during National Volunteer Week.
The volunteers had put in more than 11,000 hours of community service at the hospital and many of their peers say they and others have no plans of slowing down.
“They (hospital staff) appreciate the volunteers,” said Eleanor Imhoff of Mount Pleasant. “I’m 85 years old and I’m still able to do a lot of things. I’m grateful for that. And as long as I can walk around I’ll be here and If I can’t walk around I’ll sit.”
For more information about volunteering at the Atrium Medical Center, call Volunteer Services, (513) 420-5201 or download information and an application at AtriumMedCenter.org.
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