23
July
2021
|
09:05 AM
America/New_York

Carilion Welcomes Back Volunteers

Summary

This is the first time volunteers have returned since the pandemic paused the program 16 months earlier.

At one minute before six Monday morning, July 12, Ann Breslin arrived at the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital's Main Information Desk wearing her navy vest--and a surgical mask camouflaging a big grin that shone in her eyes.

Ann and Laney Mofield were the first volunteers to return since COVID-19 put the program on hold 16 months earlier. The volunteers' arrival for a three-hour shift escorting patients to appointments marked the much-welcome launch of a new normalcy for Volunteer Services. After undergoing training and other safety measures for a pandemic-era hospital, volunteers showed up wearing surgical masks and with paper or electronic boarding passes in hand.

"We are thrilled to welcome back our volunteers," said Shanna Flowers, director of Guest Services. "They have been dearly missed these past 16 months. Even with new safety measures in place, it has been encouraging to see them pick up right where they left off, making a positive impact on our patients and staff."

The volunteer program includes an enthusiastic group of adult volunteers. Each year, Carilion volunteers donate countless hours of their lives as they work in more than two-dozen assignment areas in three of Carilion's hospitals.

Yellow lobby ribbons greeted the returning volunteers, and they received yellow carnations to wear on their vests. In the Outpatient Surgery waiting room, the Guest Services team posted a large, colorful sign that read "Welcome Back To Our Volunteers!"

The Information Desk and Outpatient Surgery volunteers were the first to return, and others will return gradually in the coming months.