Photo By Beverly A Joyner | U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley volunteer Mary Rehak, wife of retired U.S. Air Force...... read more read more
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When visiting medical facilities whether for an appointment, procedure or prescription pick-up, people expect to receive prompt and proficient health care and service.
For those visiting U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, a team of dedicated volunteers, including seven retired couples, help provide assistance to staff members, ensuring patients and visitors receive the care that they deserve.
According to Robert Baldwin, U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley volunteer coordinator, these volunteers are part of a program that first started in 1982, originally named the Hospital Retiree Volunteer Program. The hospital volunteers also included those who signed up through the Red Cross Volunteer Program.
At that time, both the retiree program and Red Cross volunteers worked mainly at information desks, but were later recruited to work in the pharmacies and clinics. Recently, the programs were merged to better streamline the volunteer process.
“The Hospital Retiree Volunteer Program’s name was changed to Hospital Volunteer Program when it expanded to include family members of active-duty,” said Baldwin. “We recently met and decided that we only needed one combined volunteer program at the hospital, and over time, all new volunteers will be Red Cross volunteers.”
On a weekly basis, approximately 100 volunteers assist at the information desks and the two pharmacies, while about 35 volunteers assist hospital staff in the clinics. Since the average volunteer works four hours a week, their rotations are scheduled to provide maximum coverage and continuity.
“The hospital’s two pharmacies fill over 33,000 prescriptions per month and 99 percent of those are delivered by volunteers,” said Baldwin, who is also a volunteer. “This allows the pharmacy technicians to concentrate on filling prescriptions.”
In the past, satellite pharmacy volunteers would search through bins to find a patient’s name and medication, but with the new automated system the patient’s identification card is scanned and provides the volunteers with the exact location of the medication.
“There was a lot of effort that went into training the volunteers who work at the satellite pharmacy,” said Baldwin. “What [the new system] has done is cut down on backlog because it wasn’t unusual for people to wait in line for two hours. Now we’re down to less than 30 minutes.”
According to Baldwin, the seven retired volunteer couple teams contribute to the hospital’s mission by volunteering more than 300 hours each month.
One such couple is Robert and Mary Rehak, who volunteer together at the hospital’s satellite pharmacy two days a week. Initially serving as an enlisted radio operator in the U.S. Air Force, Robert earned his commission and is now a retired fighter pilot. Robert has volunteered for almost 25 years at the hospital, while his wife, Mary, a Fort Monroe child development center retiree, has volunteered for almost 14 years.
“Volunteering is like giving something back. I can do more since I’m aware of the Air Force and I’ve been around it for so long,” said Robert. “I have recommended volunteering to many, many people.”
“I like the camaraderie [of volunteering] and the interaction with the patients,” said Mary. “I think I add value to the pharmacy because I’m always trying to help somebody. The Air Force has helped me all along the way so I figure I can help them out a little.”
The US Air Force Hospital Langley’s volunteer program provides on-the-job training at various locations including the emergency room, information desks, pharmacies and clinics.
For more information about volunteering at US Air Force Hospital Langley, call 764-6384 or visit www.redcross.org.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2017 10:55 |
| Story ID: | 236144 |
| Location: | LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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