Say ‘Hi’ to Our New Friends: Local Youth Volunteer for Strong

Nearly 300 area high school students interested in getting a taste of working in health care recently joined the ranks of the Friends of Strong volunteer program.

You’ll see them helping out in a number of areas around the Medical Center and at some off-site clinics over the next eight weeks. Throughout the summer program, students ranging in age from 14 to 18 will spend a minimum of 30 hours serving in support of our Patient- and Family-Centered Care (PFCC) initiatives. Many will participate in activities with patients while others will provide support such as delivering flowers, helping at the Information Desk, and assisting in Ambulatory clinic waiting rooms.

“The volunteers really fit in perfectly with our PFCC initiatives,” said Sandy Arbasak, director of Friends of Strong. “The kids are friendly non-professionals who care and have the time to spend with patients and families—our busy professionals are often managing multiple patients which can be challenging. Having the volunteers here benefits all of us. Their presence lends a unique touch as they’re solely here to lend their help to patients and families.”

This year’s class features students from more than 50 Rochester-area high schools. Prior to starting, each one completed all hospital-mandated training, including HIPAA training, meeting all hospital requirements for working with patients, UR Medicine’s Staying Safe: Education for Minors Who Volunteer at SMH, and the Mandatory In-service Education Manual, as well as all proper health screenings. Each student will also don a University volunteer ID badge to identify them to visitors and patients.

“We really want to thank all of the new departments that came up with activity descriptions and placements, and designed orientations. We also can’t thank our long-standing partners such as Ambassador Guest Services and Physical Therapy enough,” said Sandy. “If it sometimes takes a little more effort to make sure the students are utilized, it’s worth it because patients and families tell us how wonderful it is to interact with them.”

Keep an eye out for students wearing burgundy polo shirts with the Friends of Strong image. Offer a welcoming “hello” and thank them for becoming volunteers.

Matt Ulakovic | 7/10/2015