Kimball Medical Center is seeking volunteers

Kimball Medical Center
is seeking volunteers

LAKEWOOD — Kimball Medical Center needs caring individuals who are interested in contributing their time, talent and energy as volunteers.

In fact, several departments and units at Kimball Medical Center need volunteers with work experience or job skills that segue into very specific volunteer roles.

"We have identified departments and units that can benefit greatly from volunteers with specific skills and talents," said Donna Salin, manager of the Volunteer Resource Center at Kimball Medical Center. "Adult volunteers for the emergency department, nursing units, registration and medical records, with skills from related job areas, can provide a level of assistance that is truly needed."

Opportunities in Kimball’s nursing units call for volunteers who enjoy inter­acting with patients to provide comfort and reassurance. Distributing ice water and warm blankets, answering call bells and directly assisting nurses with patient communication are other areas of need that assist both patients and nurses.

The emergency department needs will­ing volunteers to greet and direct visitors, provide wheelchair transport, assist in restocking patient rooms, perform clerical tasks and function as liaisons between family, patient, staff and physicians.

Salin outlined multiple needs in out­patient registration and medical records that could be filled by volunteers with clerical and related experience, such as registering patients, distributing beepers, escorting patients to locations within the building, filing, answering phones and photocopying.

"People lead very busy lives and it is often hard to find free time," Salin said. "Volunteering at Kimball Medical Center is a worthwhile way to donate some of that precious time. As a volunteer, your time and energy directly benefits those with whom you come in contact. You can actually see the results of your efforts."

Kimball can devise a calendar that will accommodate a volunteer’s choice of days and hours. Many loyal volunteers manage to help in ways that blend well with their lifestyles and do not conflict with existing schedules. Volunteers are encouraged to take an active role in set­ting up a volunteer calendar that both fit their lifestyle and the needs of the de­partment they are assisting.

Any energetic individuals with skills that would serve the Kimball Medical Center community of patients, staff and physicians may call the Volunteer Resource Center at Kimball Medical Center at (732) 886-4523.

Kimball Medical Center offers a com­prehensive orientation and volunteer training program, flexible hours, the op­portunity to develop new friendships and the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others.

Kimball Medical Center is an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, the largest integrated health care delivery system in New Jersey, with nine acute care hospitals, nine nursing homes, five ambulatory care facilities, three geriatric centers, three assisted living residences, a freestanding 100-bed inpatient psychiatric facility and a statewide behavioral health network.

Kimball Medical Center is a fully ac­credited, 350-bed facility offering the most advanced, ultra-modern diagnostic and treatment services, including emer­gency and urgent care, radiation oncol­ogy, MRI, laser and arthroscopic surgery, maternity and a Level II special care nursery, pediatrics, inpatient dialysis, oc­cupational medicine and a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Kimball also has a sports medicine program and provides rehabilitative ser­vices to more than 12,000 patients annu­ally.

The Center for Healthy Living offers a wide array of programs and services for area families, children, and seniors in­cluding community education programs, support groups, and school- based initia­tives.