Enloe Hospital Volunteers Touch Lives from Enloe Volunteers on Vimeo.

Enloe Volunteers Tell Their Story

Try as I might to convey the sense of meaning and difference that our hospital volunteers have on the lives of our community, I can only just barely scratch the surface of the heartfelt stories to which I am privvy.  Here then is a video, a documentary, that captures the essence of hospital volunteering through the words and actions of the volunteers themselves.  The volunteer satifaction that emanates from the stories they share both inspires and encourages anyone who volunteers for a mission they believe in.  I am thankful for the giving spirit of these volunteers at Enloe Medical Center who daily provide innumerous opportunities to make someone’s day a little brighter, to enahnce the patient experience, and to care for our community in real and meaningful ways.

A visibly upset visitor steps off the elevator with a tear-stained face.  The volunteer walking down the hall stops, looks straight at the woman and says kindly “I’m sorry you are so upset.  Is there anything I can do to help?”  The woman gulps back tears and barely makes out an audible “Where is the chapel?” .  The volunteer places her hand on the woman’s shoulder and guides her to the chapel.  She returns a moment later with a small container of tissues. 

Examples like the one above happen daily at the hospital.  Enloe Medical Center volunteers are caring, compassionate community members who daily have the opportunity to interact at the most real and human level with hurting people.  Every volunteer at Enloe is currently attending a Compassionate Communication seminar to expand the skills to provide this level of caring.

Enloe Medical Center is moving forward with a broad-ranging strategic planning process to help define its values, elevate its performance and identify the right focus. Enloe’s strategic plan will be based on employee and community feedback as well as performance measurements, and it will integrate the hospital’s strategic priorities – Patient Experience, Employee Engagement, Physician-Hospital Alignment and Financial Stewardship. As part of this process, the Enloe Medical Center Board of Trustees and senior administration have updated the Mission and Vision of Enloe Medical Center to set the course for our organization’s future.

 MISSION: To improve the quality of your life through patient-centered care

 VISION: The first choice for health care

Project S.A.V.E. collects and ships used medical equipment and supplies to hospitals and clinics in need all over the world – to places like Sierra Leone, the Philippines and the Republic of Georgia. In five years Project S.A.V.E. has sent the equivalent of 50, 20-foot containers to 32 countries. They take pride in repurposing medical equipment and supplies and donating goods to local clinics and mission trips. Janice Walker, program director, says, “It’s amazing how many corners of the world we have touched and made a real difference in people’s lives.” 

Enloe Medical Center and other area hospitals and clinics have donated generously to the program. The program also relies on donations to pay for shipping costs and volunteers to sort and load containers. On shipping days, crews of 20 to 30 volunteers are needed to pack and load the containers. Visit www.chicoprojectsave.org to view photos and stories. To learn more about how you can help Project S.A.V.E., contact Janice Walker at chicoprojectsave@gmail.com or Enloe Foundation at 332-4550.

The Administrative and Rehabilitation Center Help (ARCH) volunteer program offers a unique way to get involved at Enloe Medical Center. The ARCH program includes two components: administrative support and nursing support. This combination offers volunteers the chance to use their skills and abilities in a variety of ways. “The program is helpful for the volunteer as well as the patients in rehab,” says Amanda Ferris, Rehabilitation Secretary. “Volunteers split their time between performing administrative tasks, such as greeting guests and answering telephones, and providing support to the nursing staff, which includes interacting with patients and helping in the dining room.” Besides providing back-up support to the Rehab Center’s administrative team, ARCH volunteers also offer welcoming smiles and kind words to patients – little things that can go a long way in brightening someone’s day. 

Anthony Shogaolu (pictured) experienced a stroke last year and completed rehab in the Rehabilitation Center at Enloe Medical Center. Anthony was so impressed with the care he received at the Rehab Center that he decided to become an ARCH volunteer. To learn more or to get started as an Enloe Volunteer, call Roseanna Galindo-Kuhn, Director of Volunteer Services, at 332-4575 or visit www.enloe.org/volunteers.

Enloe’s TELE-CARE: Telephone Call Reassurance Program, is a free service offered to people who live alone in Chico. Clients receive a brief call to check on their well being each weekday morning between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and weekend mornings after 10 a.m. Clients list a neighbor and a relative to be contacted if they do not answer when called. In the event that Enloe TELE-CARE is unable to reach the client or a listed contact, permission is given to the Chico Police Department/Butte County Sheriff Department to enter the client’s home by methods they deem necessary.  

This program has been part of Volunteer Services staff responsibilities, however we are seeking to expand and grow the service by bringing the community in to help make phone calls and log contacts. This can be a remote activity done from a volunteer’s home, or volunteers may make phone calls from our office.  

An orientation will be held October 19, from 4 p.m. to 6 p. m. at the Enloe Conference Center. Contact Enloe Volunteer Services at 332-4575 for more information.

Approaching its fifth generation of farming in Glenn, Butte and Colusa counties, family-owned and operated Carriere Family Farms is a generous friend of the Enloe Foundation and major donor to the Enloe Century Project expansion. The Outpatient Services Reception and Lounge and the CT Scan Room of the new tower will be named for the family. “We wanted to provide a lasting gift that would help many people over a long period of time,” says Bill Carriere, a fourth-generation family farm member and the farm’s president. “Most important, we want to see the mission of Enloe Medical Center fulfilled.”

The origins of Carriere Family Farm go back to 1890. Today the farm manages more than 1,300 acres of walnut orchards, 1,350 acres of rice and 800 acres of olives. It has 35 full-time employees, many of whom have been with the farm for more than 20 years. Enloe Foundation is very grateful for the Carriere Family support of the health care of our community.

You are invited!  Enloe Hospice will be hosting the Annual Region II Hospice Volunteer Seminar and Luncheon on Thursday, September 24, 2009 from 10:00am-1:00pm at the Enloe Conference Center. 

Come and learn from a panel of experienced professionals including social workers, a marriage family therapist and a nurse.  The topic discussed will be “Where is the Fun in Dysfunction?…Hospice Families Under Stress.”  You will leave with a better understanding of family dynamics and tools to proctect yourself while providing support.  This promises to be interesting and educational to all, especially if you provide patient care or bereavement support.

There is a reservation fee for this event.  For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact Volunteer Services at (530) 332-4575.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about being a volunteer at Enloe Medical Center please save the date of September 9, 2009.  This is the date of our next upcoming orientation and information session.  The orientation will be held from 3:00pm-6:30pm at the Enloe Conference Center located at 1528 Esplanade in Chico. 

For more information visit us on our website at www.enloe.org/giving/volunteer_opportunities or at our office located at 249 W. 6th Avenue.  You can also call us at (530) 332-4575!