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CAHHS Volunteer Services

CAHHS Volunteer Services
1215 K Street, Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 552-544
(916) 552-2610 fax
volunteers@calhospital.org

Volunteer event

Relaunching Your Volunteer Program During COVID-19 Zoom Session
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CAHHS Volunteer Services

Please join us Wednesday, August 5, for a complimentary webinar, Relaunching Your Volunteer Program During COVID-19. Kathleen McIntire, CAVS, director of volunteer and chaplain services with Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, will share ideas and resources to help you successfully reintroduce volunteers to your hospital’s operations.  

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Getting to the Positive in Uncertain Times
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CAHHS Volunteer Services

These are challenging times — to say the least — and we recognize how stressful the COVID-19 pandemic is for everyone, including California’s hospital volunteers and volunteer leaders.  The California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is committed to helping our members by providing support resources when they need it most.

General Information

Special Message for California Hospital Volunteers

CAHHS Volunteer Services

In a short video, Carmela Coyle, California Hospital Association (CHA) President & CEO updates volunteers and volunteer leadership on how the COVID-19 crisis has economically impacted hospitals and what CHA is doing to assist them.

Her video message also addresses a question that might be on a lot of minds: When can volunteers return to hospitals? Recognizing the integral role that hospital volunteers play, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when,” Coyle said. Your work is deeply missed by everyone — leadership, staff, patients, etc., — she said, but it’s not worth the risk. There remains some work to be done to restore Californians’ confidence in hospitals, but they can’t wait to welcome you back, she said. 

Volunteer News

CAHHS Volunteer Services News

CAHHS Volunteer Services
General Information

National Organization Sends Open Letter on Importance of Volunteers Post-COVID

CAHHS Volunteer Services

The National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement has released an open letter to decision-makers in volunteer-supported organizations to ensure volunteers are an essential part of each organization’s sustainability plan post COVID-19.   

CHA News Article

Celebrate National Volunteer Week April 19-25
For CEOs, volunteer staff, public relations staff

CAHHS Volunteer Services

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice, and support to causes they care about in their hospital and community. This year’s annual week of recognition is April 19-25.

Volunteers’ stories can serve to inspire others to find ways to take action that creates change. During this time, many California hospital volunteer programs have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the work of hospital volunteers continues. Although volunteers may not physically be in the hospital , here are some of the ways they are supporting their hospitals and communities during this crisis:

  • Handwriting thank you notes to hospital physicians and nurses
  • Identifying local restaurants that are willing to donate food to hospital staff
  • Donating blood
  • Creating greeting cards for patients
  • Keeping staff fueled by creating and delivering “snack packs” with candy, chips, nuts, etc. to each department within the hospital
  • Providing employee food pantries with perishable items, allowing employees who are unable to get to the store to have what they need
  • Connecting and staying in touch via social media outlets
  • Virtually recording stories for patients
  • Making face masks and shields for hospital staff
  • Checking in and assisting neighbors as needed

It is uncertain times like these when the value of volunteers is truly immeasurable.

National Volunteer Week has traditionally been a time of celebration, to honor and pay recognition to the thousands of volunteers supporting California hospitals, but this year many activities have been canceled and/or postponed until further notice.

CAHHS Volunteer Services thanks all California hospital volunteers for your heroism, dedication, and the impact you continue to make day in and day out to support your hospital and your community. We look forward to your return. Until then, email your Volunteer Week photos or videos for our gallery and Facebook to volunteers@calhospital.org.  

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  – Margaret Mead

General Information

How is COVID-19 impacting your volunteers?
Complete the questionnaire

CAHHS Volunteer Services

Hospital communities are rapidly changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — but our commitment to serving our members remains the same. We’d like to understand how this pandemic has impacted your hospital volunteer program so that we can better support you during this uncertain time. Please take a few minutes to fill out a short questionnaire by Friday, April 3.   

To the more than 50 hospitals who have already responded, thank you. Although many hospital volunteer programs are currently suspended, we’ve enjoyed learning how many volunteers continue making a difference in our hospitals and communities.

Here’s a brief sampling of what hospital volunteers are doing during this time.   

  • Volunteers from Mark Twain Medical Center in San Andreas are writing thank you notes to hospital physicians and nurses. 
  • Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center volunteers are creating greeting cards for patients receiving meals. 
  • To keep staff fueled, auxiliary volunteers with Mercy Hospitals in Bakersfield are creating and delivering “snack packs” with candy, chips, nuts, etc. to each department within the hospital.
  • The volunteer auxiliary group at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa opened an employee food pantry with perishable items allowing employees who are unable to get to the store to pick-up a couple of items. 
CHA News Article

2020 Volunteer Conference Speaker to Explain Role of Volunteers in Complying With The Joint Commission
For CEOs, volunteer leaders

CAHHS Volunteer Services

This year’s California Hospital Volunteer Leadership Conference — to be held Feb. 17-19, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach — will feature a timely, practical session on implementing department processes that will help ensure compliance The Joint Commission’s standards.

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