This holiday season, the auditorium at Venice Regional Bayfront Health will once again overflow with gifts contributed by hospital and clinical staff, and hospital volunteers to the Adopt-A-Family program. Last year, the hospital shared holiday happiness with nearly two dozen families in need.
“Adopt-A-Family is just one of the community causes we support at Venice Regional. We are neighbors caring for neighbors, so it stands to reason that our staff and volunteers want to make a difference in the lives of others in the Venice area,” said John McLain, hospital CEO.
“This year marks the 65th anniversary of Venice’s hometown hospital,” McLain said. “Venice Regional has deep roots in the community – not just as a place for healing, but also as a corporate citizen contributing time, talent and treasure to civic priorities.”
Venice Regional, and its affiliate organizations including Gulf Coast Medical Group clinics and the volunteers, are active throughout the community all year round. Here are just some of the highlights.
Venice Regional raised more than $26,000 for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk in September, more than any other participating group.
The Hospital Volunteers of Venice organization leads several outreach programs to support health care education, patient health and safety, and more. A 501(c)3 nonprofit, the organization supports Venice Regional’s mission to provide compassionate, high-quality healthcare services.
More than 500 volunteers participate, serving as greeters, receptionists, registrants, escorts, surgery transporters, Lifeline installers, gift shop and thrift store helpers, patient representatives and more. Since 1951, the organization has provided more than $8.65 million in grants and donations to the Venice community.
In 2016, the volunteers expanded an already robust college scholarship program by awarding $5,000 to a State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota nursing student. The organization also provides approximately $50,000 annually in cash scholarships to local students pursuing health care education. By the end of 2016, the volunteers will have awarded more than $826,000 in scholarships.
Also in 2016, the volunteers instituted a 60-day free trial of the Lifeline monitoring service for area residents at risk for falls. The Lifeline necklace detects sudden changes in the wearer’s position and automatically alerts first responders. Monitoring a person for falls not only contributes to the individual’s safety and peace of mind, but it also may reduce hospital readmissions.
Offered in collaboration with Venice Regional and Gulf Coast Medical Group clinics, the 60-day free trial is offered to patients of Venice Regional and Gulf Coast Medical Group. A 30-day free trial is also available to the public. For more information, call 941-483-7070.
The Hospital Volunteers of Venice also provides a community service opportunity for area high school students. Each summer, approximately 50 teens take part in a six-week program that has been active for almost 20 years.
As one might expect, many of the hospital’s outreach initiatives focus on fostering a healthy community. An example is Mammo Money, Venice Regional’s assistance program that helps cover mammogram screening costs for women who cannot afford breast cancer exams.
Another public service is the Venice Regional and Gulf Coast Medical Group First Response Team that provides medical intervention at selected community events. What started as a booth for information and blood pressure screening has become a life-saving public service treating conditions from blisters to heart attacks at large community events.
The team includes two or more medical personnel, such as registered nurses or paramedics, who share a booth with hospital staff providing information to the public. The team treats minor injuries and assists with emergencies by stabilizing patients, alerting 911, and assisting the county’s EMS crew when it arrives, if needed.
New in 2016, Venice Regional began participating in a workplace mentoring program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, in collaboration with Venice High School, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Hospital Volunteers of Venice.
Beyond School Walls allows high school students to interact with mentors in a business setting. Students experience what it means to work for a corporation, learn business etiquette, and identify educational requirements for professional success.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast has matched 12 tenth-grade students from Venice High School with 12 Venice Regional senior staff members. The students will shadow their hospital mentors once a month during the school year to learn more about careers in various fields.
For more information on Venice Regional’s community initiatives, call 941.485.7711 or visit VeniceRegional.com