The New England Association for Directors of Hospital Volunteer Services (NEADHVS) awarded CMMC the 2012 President’s Award for Outstanding Program Development. The award is presented annually to recognize a new innovative hospital volunteer program in New England. CMMC Director of Volunteer Services Susan Hedrich accepted the award at the NEADHVS’s annual meeting.
CMMC’s “WorkForce RX Volunteer Equipment Shopping” program was implemented to solve a labor inefficiency – that nurses spent valuable time searching for equipment such as wheelchairs, stretchers and commodes when their services were needed at the bedside, Hedrich explained.
“The program started small and now includes medical-surgical areas, emergency, surgical services, and Same-Day Surgery. Volunteers carrybeepers and phones were set up with a speed dial number to make calling thevolunteers easier,” said Hedrich.
“Green tape was added to the floor on the nursing units to identify the drop off area for equipment that the volunteers return to sterile processing on an hourly basis. The volunteers are also involved in identifying wheelchairs that need repair and getting the work done before items are returned to theunits,” she added.
A volunteer comes in two nights a week between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. to gather scattered equipment and return it to the appropriate areas so that nurses do not have to search for it in the morning. The service allows nurses to spend more time with their patients, thus improving customer service while conserving resources, Hedrich said.
No comments:
Post a Comment