City’s Public Hospitals Honor Bronx Volunteers and Encourage Others to Answer the Call to Service
Interesting and Rewarding Volunteer Opportunities Available at HHC Hospitals and Clinics Across the Borough
Apr 29, 2009
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The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) recognized National Volunteer Week by honoring three outstanding volunteers who work in the public hospitals in the borough. These individuals represent more than 8,000 men and women who together have dedicated nearly one million hours of service to the city’s public hospitals system over the last year. HHC is also encouraging more New Yorkers to consider the interesting and rewarding volunteer opportunities available to help patients served by HHC. For information on volunteer openings at HHC visit NYCService.org.
HHC’s volunteers serve important supportive roles such as interpreters, patient librarians, patient advocates, chaplains, community and auxiliary board members.
“HHC volunteers have answered the call to service and exemplify the new era of volunteerism promoted by President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg. Our volunteers are a diverse group of New Yorkers who give back to their communities by donating their time and talent. They are a vital part of our mission to deliver quality, safe, compassionate healthcare to all,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “We invite more New Yorkers to lend a hand in our hospitals, nursing homes and health centers and help us serve the 1.3 million patients who rely on our care every year.”
Bronx Volunteers Honored
Calixta Khan–shares her time and expertise at Jacobi Medical Center in the Patient Relations Chaplaincy Program. She provides friendly visits to patients, especially those who do not receive visitors. Ms. Khan escorts patients to the Chapel for services and helps with holy observances including doing readings in Spanish during masses.
Carmen Rodriguez–a retired day care teacher, volunteers in Pediatrics at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center giving 20-25 hours of service weekly. In 2008 that added up to 775 hours. She provides developmentally appropriate play activities, reads to the children, and monitors TV programs and videos. She supports the families and interprets for families whose primary language is Spanish.
Pamela Lombard–a medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is a Social Work/Sexual Assault Treatment volunteer. She is on call twice a month, at night, on weekends and holidays to provide emotional support, crisis intervention, advocacy and safe discharge planning for sexual assault survivors who were seen in the Emergency Departments of NCB, Jacobi Medical Center or Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center. She is extremely committed to preserving and protecting the dignity of survivors during a time of crisis.
About HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us on facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.