LONG BRANCH — Monmouth Medical Center hosted its 47th annual Adult Volunteer Awards Dinner recently, with more than 100 volunteers gathering at the SeaBreeze Café to celebrate an evening set aside in their honor.
“National Volunteer Week is the time we set aside to show how much we appreciate the role our volunteers play on the health care team,” said Louise Shivers, coordinator of the Volunteer Services Department.
“Together we all make Monmouth Medical Center a better place, and that’s what being part of a team is about — everyone doing their part to make the hospital a success. This year’s theme is ‘Volunteers: Touching Lives … Lifting Spirits,’ and that is exactly what they do,” Shivers said.
Considered ambassadors for the medical center, volunteers play an important role in many areas — from assisting hospitalized patients or those receiving care in the Emergency Department or outpatient areas to providing office support in such areas as computer services, business administration and medical records, among others.
Dr. Frank J. Vozos, executive director of Monmouth Medical Center, said volunteers are instrumental in carrying out the hospital’s mission, noting that the 373 adults who comprise the volunteer corps are involved in nearly every aspect of patient care and the operation of the hospital.
Jeanne Johnson, of Englishtown, received the Congenial Volunteer Award for her compassion and upbeat attitude with oncology patients.