Guest Commentary

Volunteers Are Important To Hospital Operations

By Valerie Lakey
Mountain Echo Reporter

Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted here with permission of the Mountain Echo.

Fall River Mills -- Director of Volunteer Service, Margaret Trunan, reported to the Mayers Memorial Hospital District last week that volunteers contributed 23,305 hours last year.
   
“At the estimated value of volunteer time for 2011 of $21.79 per hour, our volunteers saved the hospital $507,815,” Trunan told the district board.
   
"Hospice tops the list in number of volunteer hours with 5,076, followed by the thrift store at 3,824 hours,” she said. The ancillary areas had 3,020 hours and the hospital gift shop logged 2,771 volunteers hours.
   
Other areas of volunteer work include pastoral care services, gardening, acute care, junior volunteers, senior projects and event fundraisers.
   
Trunan reported that after only 19 months of operation the thrift store has been thriving. Year to date sales are up 4.28 percent over last year. Volunteers have been working hard to keep the store clean, neat and organized with a variety of items and special projects.
   
Projects funded by the thrift store revenues have included the renovation of the hospital lobby, oxygen analyzer for Intermountain Respiratory, infusion recliner chair for outpatient services and several other projects.
   
“Volunteers have been involved  in all of the decision-making on how to use our funds,” Trunan said.
   
Trunan also reported that they are working on utilizing more skills-based volunteers.