FMC honors hospital’s dedicated volunteers
Five volunteers from a variety of departments have been named Good Samaritans as Floyd Medical Center recognizes April 18-24 as National Volunteer Week. The Good Samaritan program honors exceptional volunteers who give of their time and talents.
“Our volunteers have been serving side by side with Floyd’s professionals as they care for our community during the COVID-19 challenge,” said Carolyn Falcitelli, Director of Volunteers. “Whether volunteers serve in an office, on the floor, or in the gift shop, doing good comes in many forms and we recognize and celebrate them all.”
Danielle Allen is currently a volunteer in Wound Care & Hyperbarics and assists in the hyperbaric room while patients are treated at Floyd Medical Center. She also answers the phone, does filing and helps patients any way she can. She said she has been a volunteer for more than eight years.
“I have been a volunteer in the surgery area, gift shop and now in Wound Care & Hyperbarics,” Allen said. “I love the people and I love doing new things.”
Ruth Brewer has volunteered with Heyman Hospicecare at Floyd since 2005. She makes weekly phone calls to families to check on patients. She has also helped plan the annual memorial service for past patients’ families along with preparing memory books.
“My husband was in hospice in 2003 and I just felt like I wanted to help them like they helped me,” Brewer said.
Charlotte C. Earwood began volunteering in the Polk Medical Center Gift Shop in 2015. In 2016, she became a spiritual care volunteer at the hospital. She enjoys interacting and sharing with patients. She is also very active in her church, taking food to shut-ins.
“I really wanted to give back to the community after working for nearly 53 years,” Earwood said. “Anything I can do to make someone’s stay in the hospital better, I want to do that.”
Mary Helen Heaner has served on the Board of Directors of Floyd Healthcare Foundation since 2014 and became the chairwoman in 2019. She has been instrumental in raising funds for The Breast Center at Floyd, the Mobile Mammography Coach and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) campaigns. She has also been involved with the COVID-19 Essential Needs Fund and the Neonatal Ambulance project.
“It is very rewarding to support things that help our community,” Heaner said. “The Breast Center and the Mobile Mammography Coach are so important in the fight against breast cancer.”
Stella “Sue” Love has been a volunteer for more than a year at Cherokee Medical Center, where she does everything from escorting patients, helping with paperwork and even screening people seeking COVID-19 vaccinations.
“It is nice to feel needed,” said Love. “I think sometimes we lose that feeling when we retire,” Love said.
If you are interested in volunteering, call Carolyn Falcitelli, Director of Volunteers, at 706-509-5071.