In Service to Others …with a Warm Smile

I think I consumed too many calories last week… (Why should that week have been any different than others?) 

April 21-27 was National Volunteer Appreciation Week. GBMC had a luncheon every day of last week to recognize our volunteers who were on duty and I stopped by each day to have a bite to eat and say thank you to them. 

Sharon Barnes and Anne Pidcock
staffing the Family Waiting area.

We have more than 800 volunteers in the hospital and at Gilchrist Hospice Care. Every day I meet them in our hallways and I am always struck by how they, to the person, seem so joyful in their service to our patients. Many days I feel a bit grumpy for this or that reason but when I walk out of my office and walk by the front desk, I am always greeted by at least 3 or 4 smiling volunteers. 

Charlotte Maranto assisting a telephone caller
at the hospital's front desk.

These are people with wonderful personal stories of accomplishment who could be home with grandchildren, at the art museum, taking a stroll in the park, or reading a good book. But instead, they dutifully come to help us. They don’t ask for much…actually they don’t ask for anything. They just give of themselves. They remind me everyday what life is all about and I am grateful for their work and also for this reminder.

Last week, they also gave us something else….another financial commitment. Our Volunteer Auxiliary pledged a $1 million dollar gift to help us fund our new Neurology Center! As you know, our goal is to develop a system to deliver patient-centered care from birth to end-of-life. Therefore, a Stroke Center and comprehensive Neurology program is essential.  When doctors Michael Sellman and James Bernheimer come to join Dr. Arash Taavoni this summer, much of the Neurology Center start-up costs will be covered thanks to another selfless act of our volunteers!  

Norma Houck & Doris Wilhelm
at the front desk.

We are so grateful for all that they do, from the smiles, to their daily work, and their financial commitment.

…And it was Laboratory Week!

Last week was also Laboratory Week. GBMC is so lucky to have the highest reliability laboratory that I have ever seen. We are blessed with outstanding pathologists, technicians, phlebotomists, managers, administrative personnel and others on the Team. They are truly unsung heroes who we sometimes take for granted. Thanks to our lab personnel for all that they do!