Checkup

Mayo Clinic Volunteers: More Than Meets the Eye

Volunteers like Jack Dorman (standing), Jenny Suber and Mary Jane Fachko (seated left to right) make valuable contributions both behind the scenes and with the services they provide to patients.

This past September, Martin Levy and his wife, Donna, traveled to Mayo Clinic from their home in Maryland to seek medical care for Martin. "My wife, also ill, could not push the wheelchair every day. But a smile and a green jacketed volunteer were forthcoming at all times," says Martin.

More than 400 volunteers are spread over 40 areas of Mayo Clinic and St. Luke's. In 2004, they dedicated more than 87,000 hours of service. They're often the first people you see as you enter the doors. They may smile and greet you, help you into a wheelchair or show you where to go, but that's not all the volunteers do.

In addition to lending helping hands to patients, volunteers also provide specialized services to help support the staff. One such position, a surgery liaison, relays patient information directly from the medical staff to the patient's family in the waiting room. This not only helps keep the family updated on their loved one's condition, but also allows the medical staff to focus on caring for the patient.

Volunteers always have the patients' needs close to their heart. That's why they're committed to taking their firsthand experiences with patients to administrators in an effort to help identify and address patient needs. Recently, the Disability Task Force asked a group of volunteers to offer their insight into what our disabled patients needed to make their stay easier.

"Volunteers often see what staff and administrators can't see and can help Mayo make our patients' stay that much easier," says Carol Miller, director of Volunteer Services.

Not only were they able to help identify a list of needed items, such as special eating utensils in the cafeterias and blanket-warmer cabinets, but Volunteer Services also provided more than $64,000 to pay for them.

Kitty O'Hara keeps the shelves stocked in the gift shop at St. Luke's Hospital. In 2004, the volunteers raised more than $1 million through the shops on both campuses.

In 2004, volunteers raised more than $1 million through the gift shops. These funds are distributed to patient amenities like those identified by the Disability Task Force and to programs that may not be available otherwise. For example, thanks to Volunteer Services, the Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine has been funded for 2004 and 2005. The program brings a variety of artistic presentations to Mayo for staff, patients and visitors to enjoy.

Although volunteers are an important part of what goes on behind the scenes at Mayo Clinic, their greatest contributions are the services they provide to patients. The Levys recently wrote a letter thanking volunteers for their support and assistance. "You made my sad stay at the clinic happy again," they wrote. "Your hope and good humor were infectious. We will make a donation to our church on behalf of the 'tireless volunteers of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.'"

Info:
Volunteer Services
(904) 296-3722
E-mail: volunteersmcj@mayo.edu

Learn more about the Volunteer Services at Mayo Clinic and St. Luke's Hospital.