The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health care in a broader scope than just masks, face shields and quarantines. The quarantines didn’t just shut out visitors to facilities, but volunteer workers as well.
Gloria Harris had to quit her volunteer duties after Friday the 13th in March of last year.
“I began doing volunteer work only six months after I retired from my job,” she said Monday, wearing the distinctive pink jacket that identifies all volunteers at the hospital. “I needed a reason to get out of the house.”
Harris stocks merchandise displays at the gift shop and also assists with sales. She’s been back on the job for about two months. She also delivers copies of the newspaper to the nurses’ stations around the hospital.
Prior to COVID, she also worked in the critical care waiting room one day a week.
“I was especially gratified to encourage family members that came from out of town,” she said. “It can be a scary thing to have to come in the middle of the night.”
Per hospital volunteer services coordinator Lisa Bowers, approximately 80 volunteers served at Baptist before the pandemic, compared with only 45 now.
“We have had some pass away, but for the most part people just aren’t sure whether it’s safe to come back yet,” Bowers said. “Some are afraid to get vaccinated for fear of the side effects they heard about.”
Bowers considers the volunteer force as the “hands and feet” of the hospital staff.
“They can help with filing or wheeling patients to receive treatment and more,” she said. “Volunteers are a breath of fresh air for us.”
Volunteers do not need to feel intimidated by working alongside skilled staff with medical degrees.
“Most volunteers come to us with a repertoire of their own life experiences, which is the best preparation,” Bowers said. “The only requirement is that all volunteers be fully vaccinated against COVID.”
BMH-GT Coordinator of Community Relations Ashleigh Guyton said even though state and local restrictions are starting to lift, federal guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still call the shots.
“Some restrictions have gotten easier,” she said. “Labor and Delivery permits two visitors per delivering mother, while other areas of the hospital allow only one guest per 24 hours. The Behavioral Health unit still forbids visitors altogether.”
Bowers emphasized the goal of best practices is to ensure the safety of the hospital’s staff as well as volunteer workers. The familiar exercises remain, including sanitizing hands regularly, wearing masks and getting temperature checks upon entering the hospital.
“We still limit the number of people inside the gift shop and encourage social distancing,” she said.
Harris is glad to be back on duty at the gift shop.
“All profit goes right back to the hospital,” she said. “Our proceeds helped buy furniture and two ambulances.”
Volunteers are always needed at community hospitals to supplement the long hours worked by staff. For information about becoming a volunteer at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, call Bowers at 662-244-1166.
Bowers looks to the volunteers wearing the pink jackets for the boost the staff rely on for their long hours of service.
“The pink jackets are a major part of us,” she said. “They were sorely missed.”
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