Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | Therese Shell, a Red Cross surgical waiting room volunteer, answers the phone in the...... read more read more
BETHESDA, Md. - In the surgical waiting room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), families of patients are all waiting for one sound – the ring of the black phone sitting on a desk by the door.
Wearing a royal blue vest with an American Red Cross patch on the back, a volunteer is there to answer the phone and pass the information to the family members.
On the other end of the line is the doctor bearing news of their loved one’s surgery.
The American Red Cross volunteers act as a liaison between the doctors and the families in the waiting room, while providing basic needs like toiletries, snacks, and sometimes even clothing for those who have not packed a bag when staying overnight.
“A lot of times we don’t interact with the patients themselves, but the families there can be so stressed, and we are able to help relieve some of that stress,” said Surgical Waiting Room Chairwoman for the American Red Cross, Karel Fick. “Sometimes the family member can still be nervous, and it can be nice to have somebody to talk to.”
The American Red Cross also has a Comfort Cart Program that makes its way through the hospital starting with the surgical waiting room moving on to the Intensive Care Unit and throughout the inpatient 4th and 5th floors of Building 10. The Comfort Cart, armed with toiletries, snacks, blankets, and comfort items, goes to these inpatient areas seven days a week in hopes of making patients and families stay just a bit easier.
“It’s a way of giving back,” said Fick. “Sometimes getting someone a toothbrush or getting them a snack from the cart can make their time waiting for their loved one to get out of surgery more bearable.”
The volunteers in the waiting room can also be someone for the family to talk to if they want to know more information about their family member. The volunteer can call the medical personnel if the family is wondering why they have not heard any news.
“If the doctor has called and said the surgery went well, that [the patient] is in the recovery [room] and that they will call again in 30 minutes,” said Fick, “an hour and a half later, if the family hasn’t heard any news because the recovery ward is backed up or he didn’t wake up right away, that family member is going to get anxious.
“If that’s the case, the family member can ask the volunteer to call the recovery ward and see what is going on and get the family the information they need.”
All the volunteers here give up their time to help others for a reason.
For Fick, it’s because of her son, who was stationed in the Middle East.
“I’m just somebody’s mom and if a [service member] comes in, I’ll just wait with them until their mom gets there, just like I would want somebody to do with [my son],” said Fick. “I would want somebody to wait there with [my son] until I got there.”
Therese Shell, another volunteer in the program, also volunteers because of a military connection.
“I’ve always volunteered somewhere,” said Shell. “My husband is Navy and my son is Navy. I love the military.
“I just want to be here to comfort them; this is the most appreciative place I’ve ever been.”
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2016 13:14 |
| Story ID: | 192719 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 284 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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