Volunteers and Catholic health care

Health Progress, May/Jun 2001 by Ballard, Lynette M

Auxiliary Workers Should Be Full Partners

in the Catholic Health Ministry

When we perform an action, the invisible within us finds a form and comes to expression. Therefore, our work should be the place where the soul can enjoy becoming visible and present.... Our nature longs deeply for the possibility of expression in what we call work.

-John O'Donohue1

When a faith-based health care organization accepts the services of volunteer workers, it enters a relationship parallel to the one between itself and its religious sponsor. Both relationships arise out of a sense of mission. The essence of both relationships is ministry. Faith-based hospitals and the men and women who perform volunteer work in them have a mutual need to enhance each other's meaning.

That being the case, those of us who are leaders in faith-based hospitals should ask ourselves certain questions. How can we better fulfill our responsibility to our volunteers? How can we ensure that volunteers better understand the hospital's mission: service to the poor, the sick, the uneducated, and the marginalized? And how can we avoid marginalizing our own workers, especially our volunteers?

Volunteers become marginalized when their motivation is taken for granted and their work is overlooked or undervalued. Volunteer organizations, which typically run fund-raising events, are too often seen merely as sources of money.* And individual volunteers are too often seen merely as free labor, performing the simple, unpaid tasks that allow hospitals to save money.

Why are volunteers so often disregarded and undervalued? Age probably plays a role. Volunteers-some of whom are in their teens while others may be in their 90s-tend to be both younger and older than other hospital workers. Then, too, volunteers are often given distinctive uniforms to wear. Because they look different from other workers, they are treated differently. But volunteers are marginalized primarily because they are unpaid workers. Our culture tends to value people according to their incomes. The fact that volunteers derive no income from their labor frequently tempts supervisors and colleagues to view that labor as less important than that done by those who are paid for it.

The marginalization of volunteers tends to bring with it certain predictable consequences. For example, a person who is not on the hospital's payroll may not receive mailings that paid workers receive. As a result, that person may not be invited to join classes, training sessions, celebrations, or other significant hospital events. True, most health care organizations recognize volunteers and praise them for their work-but they frequently do this in ceremonies or publications designed especially for volunteers, not for the full hospital community. Recognition of this sort increases, rather than reduces, volunteers' marginalization.

INTEGRATING VOLUNTEERS IN THE WORK FORCE

In keeping with Catholic social justice teaching, volunteers in Catholic hospitals must be integrated throughout the health care organization and included in education, training, recognition ceremonies, motivational sessions, rituals, and celebrations. Once the hospital comes to see that each volunteer's story is valuable and, as a result, begins to ensure that all volunteers experience a strong, consistent, continuing connection to the hospital's mission, the hospital itself will benefit in several ways.

Volunteers Can Help Improve Overall Morale For many in health care, this is a time of increased doubt and skepticism. In such an atmosphere, ironically, regular hospital staff may find volunteer workers to be especially vivid examples of loyalty and dedication. And the idealism demonstrated by such people can help lift morale among the entire staff.

Volunteers Can Attract Other

Auxiliary Workers In an environment in which not-for-profit organizations must compete for volunteers, Catholic hospitals that integrate their volunteers in the healing ministry of Jesus will find it possible to attract and retain many others.

Volunteers Can Help Improve Patient Services As volunteers come to understand the hospital's mission, history, and tradition, they will be able to serve patients in the true spirit of Catholic health care.

Because they do not work for pay, volunteers have a unique relationship to the hospital-they come to it seeking a sense of community and fellowship rather than remuneration. Volunteers tend to see the hospital as the community sees it-as a source of health care services, not compensation. Because they are community members, moreover, volunteers tend to identiy closely with patients and their families; this identification evokes in them a wish to help make the hospital's care as effective as possible.

Most volunteers possess strong personal values and a desire for personal growth. Even their lack of health care experience can be useful. Some bring to the hospital wisdom gained in years of work in home or office; others bring the fresh eye that can spot possible improvements. If volunteers were to be fully integrated in the hospital's staff, their insights could be very beneficial to paid colleagues.