Health

HEALTH • Summer 2017 21 The number of volunteers and full-time employeers at area hospitals Local volunteerism Sources: The hospitals Full-time Volunteers employees careers in the healthcare sector and are trying to get their feet wet. And then there are some that just have a strong connection to the hospital, because they or their family members received care there. There's a steady stream of applicants, making it easy to keep vital volunteer roles filled. "We're really fortunate that I rarely have to recruit for roles," said Willey, a social worker who has worked for Milford Regional for 17 years. Finding a match The real challenge is matching people with pro- grams that are suited to their interests and strengths. Some programs, of course, are more popular than others. Newborn cuddler programs, where volunteers hold babies exposed to opiates in utero to ease the withdrawal process, are very popular. There's a waiting list to hold babies at Milford Regional, as well as at UMass Memorial Medical Center and Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester. But there are myriad opportunities to help in hospitals, whether it's sorting mail, working in the gift shop, greeting families and patients in crisis in the emergency room, or helping elderly patients who may become disoriented at night. Some roles are fraught with emotion, such as the Compassionate Companion program, which Willey implemented in 2011, providing around- the-clock companionship with patients receiving hospice care in their final hours. Jody Stark Cornetta, director of volunteer ser- vices at UMass Memorial, said it's important to balance volunteers' interests with the demands of the different departments. Onboarding employ- ees is an in-depth process akin to applying for a job, and volunteers can't simply float from one department to another. "It's very important to have the right match. You want to have a volunteer who likes what they're doing and are fit for the department," said Cornetta, who managed 801 volunteers at UMass Memorial last year, ranging in age from 15 to 96. One of them is Renee Leoncini, who retired at 55 and quickly found her niche volunteering in the emergency room and in the pediatric ward at UMass Memorial. She spends two hours a week helping patients in the emergency room feel more comfortable, finding pillows and warm blankets, or sometimes just chatting. Her other two weekly hours are spent making ice cream sundaes for pediatric patients, their families, and the staff. "That's my fun time," said Leoncini, adding that she hopes to continue for the long term, like some of her fellow volunteers who have been with the hospital for 30 years or more. "I can see that happening for me." Pauline Barrett, a volunteer patient liaison at Milford Regional Medical Center, talks with a patient. Sharon Kearney, a member of the volunteer Snuggle Squad at Milford Regional Medical Center, holds a newborn. For the busy clinical staff, hospital volunteers are an extra set of hands to help meet patients non-clinical needs. Christine Case, volunteer coordinator at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, said volunteers are onboarded and receive annual reviews like any employee, becom- ing part of the department. "The staff really loves having the volunteers here. They do so much for the hospital," Case said, adding that they're not seen as "outsiders." Maximizing performance Case said their biggest contribution is to improving patient experience, but a report pub- lished in January by the American Hospital Association (AHA), a national advocacy group for about 5,000 hospitals and healthcare systems, found that volunteers help maximize hospital per- formance, too. In a series of case studies, the AHA provides examples of volunteer programs that have boosted healthcare utilization, provided valuable training for student volunteers who will become part of the workforce, curbed per-capita healthcare spending, and even reduced hospital readmission rates, all pressing goals for hospitals that are fac- ing growing pressure to improve patient experi- ence while maintaining already lean margins. Pat Noga, vice president of clinical affairs at the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA), the state's hospital industry group, said hospital volunteerism is becoming more impor- tant, as hospitals invest in programs that boost overall patient experience, a measure that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid now ties to insurance payments for its members. Noga noted that hospitals now often employ "directors of patient experience," or "chief experience officers." Noga said the more people on hand to boost the experience, the better. "It can make a difference, who sees you, who helps you along your way," Noga said. UMass Memorial volunteer Megan Huber scoops ice cream for children in the hospital's pediatric department, located at its University Campus. H Athol Hospital 30 136 Clinton Hospital 25 260 Harrington Hospital, Southbridge 300 896 HealthAlliance Hospital, Leominster 200 1,450 Heywood Hospital, Gardner 165 716 Marlborough Hospital 150 405 MetroWest Medical Center 275 2,130 Milford Regional Medical Center 511 1,256 UMass Memorial Medical Center 801 6,468 Saint Vincent Hospital 300 2,331 P H O T O / L A U R A F I N A L D I P H O T O / F I L E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y

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