Mills-Peninsula rebuilds its volunteer program

That’s the goal of the Mills-Peninsula volunteer program, in Kochavi’s view: easing the stress and tension that inevitably comes with being a patient or family member in a hospital. 

“Someone comes in, ‘Where should I go? What should I do?’ Everybody’s nervous. Nobody comes here for fun,” she said. “Just to alleviate the worry, as far as it can get … to know that the person is going to the right place, where he needs to be. That’s a very serious order. Because otherwise, it’s very unpleasant. People worry.” 

Sullivan, who has been managing the volunteer program for seven years, said the hospital regularly had around 504 volunteers come in once a week before the pandemic. Now, regrowth has been slow but steady, with the program currently rebuilt to 285 volunteers. 

Volunteers can come from any walk of life, as long as they’re 16 or older and able to commit to three to four hours a week of time for a year. They’re assigned to a variety of areas throughout the hospital: volunteers could be a greeter, like Kochavi, assist in the gift shop, or be assigned to a specific department as a liaison. 

“The Emergency Department is a big one. Volunteers really keep our guests in the waiting room informed,” she said, noting that a hospital volunteer could keep families up to date on patient status or what tests they’re undergoing. “Sitting in a room and fear of not knowing … the volunteer is really that liaison.” 

The volunteer program is not only focused on helping patients, but also family members, offering them reprieve from caring from a sick loved one or much-needed time to look after themselves. And the program is still reopening in different departments as it regrows after the pandemic, but welcomes anyone interested in providing support and kindness in a hospital setting. 

“The couple words we use for any areas — our volunteers support and complement paid staff,” Sullivan said. 

Mills-Peninsula has an adult volunteer program on a rolling basis as well as a program for 16- and 17-year-old high-school aged participants, with applications accepted three times a year. The onboarding process requires a background check, health testing and an online training. 

For students interested in pursuing medicine, volunteering can be an important step toward delving into the hospital world and seeing what environments they like best. 

Sullivan pointed to a story of one volunteer in the intensive care unit that, after impressing staff with her volunteering work and interest in the field, was offered a job after she attended nursing school.

“Build your bridges, I tell everybody,” she said. 

Andrea and Lauren Pineda, twins who participated in the high school volunteering program and have now returned to Mills-Peninsula to volunteer in the gift shop after college as they study for their Medical College Admission Tests, also find the experience a positive next step in their medical careers. 

“In the gift shop, we get like a little bit of everything. We meet a lot of people,” Lauren Pineda said. “People who come in and they just have an appointment, and they want to come looking around. Or we get on people who are around on a lunch break … it’s not like working on the floors, but you still have a lot of exposure to the medical environment.” 

Sullivan is also working to pilot a shadowing program for volunteers, with the Pineda twins set to be the first to shadow a physician and learn more about the day-to-day work in the medical field. 

“It’s a great opportunity if [you’re] interested in this field,” Andrea Pineda said. “I think that would be a great opportunity, as well as a volunteer, that you could shadow physicians, gain a better understanding of what it’s like to work in that field.” 

And although the program can be directional for younger participants, it’s also an important opportunity for volunteers of all ages to both assist within their local community and build a community of their own. 

Kochavi, for example, has been a volunteer with the program going on 13 years, she said, and considers the hospital a second home. 

“It’s like part of me. My kids were born here, I’ve been a patient 101 times,” she said. 

For more information on the volunteer program, call (650) 696-2465 option 1, email MPHSvolunteerservices@sutterhealth.org or go to the volunteering website. 

holly@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105