Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
Lovell FHCC Volunteer Recognition
Random Acts of Flowers volunteers Brooke MacLean, Andrea Lutz, Lisa Dufey and Melissa Kirk brought dozens of bunches of fresh flowers to patients.
Volunteers are becoming more vital to the workflow and success of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center. With increased roles throughout the FHCC, numbers have increased substantially to 898 regularly scheduled volunteers. They complete a slew of tasks, ranging from volunteering in the “No Veteran Dies Alone Program” to simply escorting patients around the hospital.
The impact of volunteer-led programs at the FHCC during fiscal year 2014 was calculated to be more than a million dollars. The efforts of these diligent men and women don’t stop outside of the FHCC doors. Programs such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program also are all-volunteer-led programs, branching into many regions of Chicago. Donated funds and supplies have helped support essential programs at the FHCC that do not have a budget, including the military sexual trauma program, the homeless Veteran drop-in center and the caregiver support center.
The No Veteran Dies Alone program, a Department of Veterans Affairs initiative, is one of the FHCC volunteer community’s most admirable programs, coordinated by FHCC Hospice/Palliative Care Coordinator Anna Abraham and her support team. Volunteers are on call, and work shifts ranging from four to eight hours as they monitor patients in their last hours here at the FHCC. The goal is to make sure patients are not alone in their final moments.
“whether it’s making the coffee in the morning or directing people around the hospital. When they smile I smile because when they’re happy I’m happy ," says Craig Reuse, Lovell FHCC Volunteer.
The VA’s nationally recognized My HealtheVet initiative is another FHCC program that relies on volunteers. RN Sandra Cech, who heads up the program at the FHCC, has a core team of volunteers who spend their time helping Veterans sign up for secure messaging so they can email their providers, order prescriptions, check lab results, and use other online health resources.
April is volunteer recognition month, highlighted by the FHCC’s annual volunteer recognition banquet. It’s a chance for the facility to officially and publicly thank these dedicated volunteers, who generously gave 47,068 hours to FHCC patients last fiscal year. Thank you to our volunteers!
You can volunteer at Lovell FHCC too! Contact the Volunteer Office at 224-610-3714 today.
