Eastern Idaho Medical Center looking for more volunteers

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is celebrating National Healthcare Volunteer Week this week.

“We currently have 123 volunteers here at the hospital and we would love to be able to have up to 140. We have volunteers in fifteen different places throughout the hospital — all of which have interaction without patients and families,” Marchelle Jensen, Manager of Volunteer Services at EIRMC said.

National Healthcare Volunteer Week is a great time to celebrate the volunteers an organization has, but it’s also a great time to rally for more great people to join the team — and that is exactly what EIRMC is doing.

“It’s a great way to get involved in the community and meet other volunteers. It’s also for younger people a great way for them to see if they’re interested in the health care field. For out high school students, it gives them the opportunity to learn some of those customer service skills that are going to be beneficial to them down the road,” Jensen said.

Volunteers are needed in different capacities like the emergency room, the front desk, waiting rooms, or to even shuttle around guests. EIRMC volunteers are expected to work 3-4 hours a week and commit for a full year.

“I seem to have a desire to help others and I really enjoy that. This has a whole series of challenges. I work primarily in the emergency room and we a whole variety of different patients and families,” said Jim Pletcher, an EIRMC Volunteer since 2012.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, volunteering around the nation is at a 10-year low. EIRMC wants to avoid this trend and its current volunteers make a compelling case to get involved and to keep that from happening.

“Oh its been a life saver for me. I love the interaction with the patients. I love the interaction with my co-workers and it gives me a sense of satisfaction to be able to help people,” said Judy Osborne, who has volunteered at EIRMC since 2009.

EIRMC is celebrating its volunteers through special events and individual recognition of each volunteer’s time in service. EIRMC has volunteers that have individually donated over 10,000 hours of service.

For more information about EIRMC Volunteer Services or to apply to be a volunteer visit EIRMC.com/Volunteers or call (208) 529-6201.