The American Hospital Association recently named four recipients of the organization’s 34th annual Hospital Awards for Volunteer Excellence. The awards honor programs that are driving positive and innovative change in their communities, and they fall under four categories: community service programs, community outreach programs, fundraising programs, and in-service hospital volunteer programs.
This year, two Pennsylvania hospitals, in addition to a hospital from New York and one from New Jersey, received the awards.
Community service programs
Abington – Jefferson Health, in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, was recognized for its Camp Charlie program. It is a free, expressive arts bereavement camp that provides peer support for children, adolescents, and families. Held each June, the program features activities involving music, art, and drama. Volunteers are invited to participate in designing projects, leading team games, and offering peer support. Since its launch in 2007, Camp Charlie has served 550 grieving children and teens.
Fundraising programs
Doylestown Health’s Friends of the Heart won accolades for its impressive fundraising efforts. The all-volunteer organization has raised more than $1.6 million for state-of-the-art medical and surgical equipment since its founding in 1978. The institute focuses on community wellness and prevention through funding its monthly Walk With a Doc exercise program. It raises funds through annual memberships, donations, and events such as an annual Heart Brunch and the heart-healthy Cardiac Cook-Off competition.
Community outreach/collaboration programs
The out-of-state winners include New York-based Arnot Ogden Medical Center’s AOMC Poison Prevention Program, which offers presentations in pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade classrooms about the importance of personal safety and the dangers of accidental child poisoning.
In-service hospital volunteer programs
Belleville, New Jersey, hospital Clara Maass Medical Center was recognized for its Hospital Elder Life Program, which uses volunteers to provide extra care for senior citizens admitted to the hospital. Staff members use screening tools to assess patients for risk of cognitive and physical decline, and volunteers assist patients with therapeutic and relaxation activities.