Holly Jolin
COVID-19 stopped us all in our tracks. For hospitals and health systems around the country, that meant volunteers were no longer allowed.
The University of Texas Medical Branch was no exception. Because of the pandemic, the health system did not allow volunteers in its clinical areas from 2020 to 2022.
Now, with most pandemic restrictions lifted, the medical branch is once again allowing volunteers on campus to help with many needs across all our campuses and clinical service areas. And help is definitely needed.
Prior to 2020, the medical branch had more than 400 volunteers throughout its campuses. We now have only about 150 active volunteers. We are looking for caring, compassionate and friendly people with a heart for helping to volunteer.
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about volunteering at the medical branch.
Q. Is it safe to come back into the hospitals with COVID still going around?
A. The medical branch stays closely informed on the most current public-safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state and local health organizations to ensure the health and safety of our patients, visitors, staff and volunteers. The rate of COVID-positive tests is steadily declining, and routine masking is no longer required in any medical branch building at this time.
Q. How old do you have to be to volunteer?
A. Adult volunteers are ages 18 and older. Junior volunteers are ages 15 to 17.
Q. How do I apply?
A. You can find all the information you need at utmbhealth.com/volunteer or call 409-772-2549.
Q. Can anyone become a volunteer?
A. To ensure that we keep our patients safe, we require some items before you can volunteer. These include a background check, proof of a COVID vaccination and one booster, proof of an annual TB test; annual flu vaccine or signed waiver (the medical branch offers free tuberculosis skin tests and flu vaccines to its volunteers); and proof of various other immunizations.
Q. Will there be people to help me learn what I need to know?
A. As a valuable member of the medical branch support team, you’ll find many people thankful for your assistance, ready to help train you and able to assist you whenever you have a question. We want your experience to be meaningful and enjoyable.
Q. What will I be doing?
A. There are volunteer positions available on all campuses in all clinical service areas — including delivering complimentary beverages to waiting areas and books and magazines to patients and their guests; offering comfort and companionship to seniors; clerical support, including in the ER and at nurses stations; greeting and guiding patients and their guests; playing games with pediatric patients; and taking therapy pets for short visits to patients, staff and students to help relieve stress, depression and anxiety.
Please consider joining our group of dedicated, compassionate volunteers to make a difference in the lives of our staff and patients, as well as your own.
Holly Jolin is the administrative manager for Volunteer Services at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Thank you.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Ends: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Internet forum rules ...
Real names required. No pseudonyms or partial names allowed. Stand behind what you post.
Keep it clean. Don't use obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be brief. Keep posts to 150 words or less.
Edit yourself. No more than two posts per thread and stay on topic. Do not link to sites outside galvnews.com.
Be aware. All posts are property of The Daily News and may be republished in print.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of rule violations.