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Mindy Teele, ED child life specialist, and Kelly Jordan

Kelly Jordan is a current volunteer in the Children’s-Minneapolis emergency department who, after reading other volunteers’ blog profiles, decided to submit one of her own!  (Thanks, Kelly!)   Read on to learn more about her volunteer experience thus far…

“Toward the end of 2012, I heard that Children’s Hospital was accepting volunteer applicants—and I couldn’t apply fast enough! I remember it was during the holiday season, and I really wanted to do something that would let me give back to the community. I knew that I wanted to volunteer somewhere special where I got to work with children, which made Children’s Hospital the perfect fit for me!

After fulfilling the necessary requirements and completing an interview process, I was raring to get started, to say the least! The ball really started rolling after I attended the on-site orientation session, which was really cool. It gave me the opportunity to learn about Children’s Hospital and what makes it a special place, and let me connect me with other volunteers, who happened to be a lot like me!

After orientation, it was on to the Emergency Department, where I was teamed up with my trainer, Candace [Tacandrya Evans of Patient Registration].  She’s really an awesome person to work with! She works as a patient registration trainer and taught me all about the Emergency Department. Not only has she been with Children’s Hospital for a while, but she has a strong understanding of everything that happens and where everything is.

Currently, I volunteer primarily in the Emergency Department. It’s fast-paced, fun, and presents me with many unique challenges. Between taking Truth Point surveys, making sure patients have toys, and keeping siblings entertained, my time at the hospital flies by quickly! I usually hang out with Mindy [Teele], a Child Life Specialist in the ED. She is a ball of fun. She moves quick and always has a project for me to do. Her positive attitude is contagious (ha! I couldn’t resist!). From things to do during down time to tricks of the trade when approaching families to knowing where things are located — the stuff you’ll need to know when helping families — her insights are so valuable. The Emergency Department, like many traditional patient floors, has a lot of moving parts and people. I get to interact with doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians. Everybody has their own responsibility to ensure that everything runs smoothly — the department really is a well-oiled machine! And, even though everyone is focused on the task at hand, they’re all very friendly and will always greet you with a warm, inviting smile.

I wanted to become a volunteer because I wanted to give back to the community, and I couldn’t be happier with my experience at Children’s Hospital. I look forward to each day I get to walk into the volunteer office, and truly love what I do here. The one piece of advice I would give future volunteers is to give as much as you can, meet people, ask questions and interact. Greet everyone with a smile, and go the extra mile every chance you can. This opportunity has been a blessing — I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

 Cheers, everyone!”

Thank you, Kelly, for your contagious good cheer!  We are lucky to have you!

Did you know that Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has an Advocacy and Health Policy department? This department’s staff dedicate their time to promoting policies, initiatives and laws that support kids’ health, as well as Children’s ability to provide the best care possible.

As someone who already devotes your personal time to serving the needs of children, you understand the value of volunteerism and the positive difference that it can make in someone else’s (and your own!)  life. Advocacy is really an extension of that value because when people speak up for the issues that matter to them, like children’s health, we can have a big impact on the lives of many. Since the concepts of volunteerism and advocacy embody the same core values, we wanted to share more about our advocacy work so you can get involved if you’re interested!

Children's Advocacy Team: Kelly Wolfe, Anna Youngerman and Katie Rojas-Jahn

The advocacy team at work

Influencing government

A lot of what the Advocacy team does revolves around local, state and federal government policies. We work to inform policymakers about the most pressing health concerns faced by children in our region, and the value of a health care provider focused exclusively on kids.

For example, one of the public health care programs in Minnesota is called Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and it plays an important role in making sure kids have access to care. In 2011, 430,901 kids were covered through Medical Assistance.  As one of Children’s advertising posters states, “Any kid can get sick. Not every kid can afford to.” Because Children’s treats every child seeking care, regardless of ability to pay, the advocacy team works to make sure that Medical Assistance is funded appropriately to meet pediatric health care needs.

We also support programs at the state and federal level that fund education for pediatric students, residents and fellows to develop knowledge in their chosen specialties. Unfortunately, this funding has been threatened in recent years (in 2011, the state-based funds for this work, called MERC, were cut by 50 percent), so in 2013, Children’s will advocate for the preservation of remaining funds and restoration of the cuts.

In the community

The Advocacy and Health Policy team also supports ongoing community work to address some of the public health concerns facing kids today. Childhood obesity is on the rise across the U.S., and Minnesota is no exception. In our recent report, Children’s Check-Up 3: Starting Early to Prevent Childhood Obesity, we discussed the importance of starting early in the fight against obesity.

We also support the work of Vida Sana Minneapolis, a community-based program spearheaded by our own Dr. Julie Boman that provides community-based, culturally-appropriate programming for Latino families to reduce childhood obesity.

You can be a powerful advocate!

We hope that you’ll get involved with this work by signing up to be a part of our Children’s Advocacy Network (click the “Action E-list” link when page loads)—we’ll keep you updated on our work and let you know when you can take action in support of children’s health.

You can also follow the Voice for Kids blog and @childrenspolicy on Twitter. If you have more questions about our work, please contact Katie Rojas-Jahn at Katherine.Rojas-Jahn@childrensmn.org or (612) 813-7111.

Meredith Shimek has been volunteering with Children’s Hospital for a year, playing with children and sharing her time on the inpatient units. As a senior in high school, Meredith is writing about her volunteer experience for class and was kind enough to share her story with us, as well!

Volunteer Meredith Shimek

“In the summer of 2009, I went to see my pediatrician for my 14-year physical.  I come from a tall Minnesotan family, and with a brother towering over 6’5”, when I had stopped growing at 4’11”, it became apparent that something was a little off. My pediatrician began running blood tests, and a couple of weeks later, I was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome. A month later, after an Upper GI Endoscopy, I was also diagnosed with celiac disease. As a teenager, I didn’t really know what to think about this new information, but now I do know that if not for my many appointments at Children’s Hospital, I never would have become a volunteer, or become interested in medicine.

As a kid, I never had an interest in the medical field. I was squeamish about blood and notorious for fainting when I’d get a flu shot- in short, the hospital was a place that I dreaded going to and had no interest in. After being diagnosed with Turner Syndrome, I went to Children’s Hospital many times for echocardiograms or blood draws. I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t eager to leave, but I would see other kids, younger than me, being wheeled into a room connected to IVs, and I would notice the dedication and tact of the Children’s staff. Everyone worked together to help these young people, and that was something I wanted to be a part of. I became increasingly interested in the medical field and wanted to help foster the environment that makes Children’s such a welcoming hospital.

As I started my junior year of high school, I began volunteering in the Pediatric Epilepsy Unit at Children’s. During my first month of volunteering, I spent my shifts with a little girl. At first, she would talk about how she missed her dog, or how she was distracted by her IVs, but in the following weeks, she would actually have a good time with me. We’d spend our time making friendship bracelets or discussing People magazine articles. She left the hospital happy, healthy, and excited to tell her 4th grade class all about the games she played, the people she met, and the artwork & scrapbook that we’d put together.

After a couple months of volunteering, I was already eager to be trained in other areas of the hospital. The first day of summer vacation, I started my shifts on an inpatient unit. I ended up spending the entire morning with a little boy, having our own little “bedside party” blowing bubbles and party blowers to help his lungs. On a day when his parents couldn’t visit him, it was great knowing that he didn’t have to be lonely.

There are a couple of reasons why I have loved my time at Children’s. It is a place that has inspired me so much as I see these kids become physically healthy.  It also means so much to be able to help them through their time at the hospital. Now I know that I am more open to changing my mind, and more eager to make a difference and dedicate myself to something that matters to me.”

Thanks, Meredith, for the time and energy that you’ve shared with the kids and families here at Children’s! We are so glad to have you here! 

Volunteer Casey Monson with cat Sammy

“So you wanna be a nurse, huh?”

If someone had asked me this in college, I would have burst into laughter.  Me?  A nurse?  I could hardly pluck my mother’s eyebrows for her without getting a little squeamish; why would I ever pursue a health care career?

As a Children’s volunteer, I got to spend time in the hospital, but didn’t need to do anything that made me squeamish.  Making someone feel better when they are in the hospital goes far beyond caring for their medical needs. As a volunteer, you focus on the emotional needs of patients and their families.  Volunteering involved me driving 45 minutes from my house, sometimes getting stuck in traffic, and sweating without any air conditioning in my car…but all of that faded the moment my red vest went on.

As a volunteer, you meet children who will stay in your heart forever because of the connections that you make with them. I remember one young boy who wanted to play Wii:  luckily, I have brothers and am skilled in the art of video games! I played for him while he pointed out the football plays that I should have made.  I don’t know a thing about football, but we smiled and laughed anyway. That day, he was really sad to see me go, and it was difficult to end my shift!  Another child I won’t forget was in no mood to play. She only wanted to be held and rocked, and made it very clear that she was not happy to see the nurses when they needed to come in to check her blood sugar. They finished their tests quickly, and I was able to come back and continue spending time with her: just rocking and holding, rocking and holding.  As a volunteer, be prepared to just be a teddy bear sometimes!

It can be difficult for a child when a younger sibling is getting so much attention because they are sick. I will never forget these two sisters that I spent time with:  they had more energy than an entire soccer team confined in their two tiny bodies. We played “house” in the playroom, where I did “homework” and the girls (“Mom” and “Auntie”) told me what to do! I showed them the Japanese alphabet that I learned to write in college. They were so intrigued, and in return, they started writing their own alphabet’s characters.  It was then my turn to be the curious one!

Volunteers help out parents, too. I will never forget a mother who was nervous about leaving her child with me because of his special needs. I mentioned to her not to worry, I have a lot of experience with kids with special needs (most of this experience coming from my brother who has a similar disability). Her eyes lit up, and I was suddenly just the listener she was craving.  She felt so comfortable with me that I spent my entire shift with them.  Don’t forget to be a caring listener; it’s one of the best types of medicine out there.

So here I am, weeks away from beginning nursing school, and I only wish that I would have volunteered sooner. To all Children’s volunteers, new or veteran:  you’re making such a difference, not only in the lives you touch at the hospital, but in your own life. Because of you, others find relief, as well as a fun playmate:  you may find that you are a “jack-of-all-games!”  No matter what sort of day you have outside of Children’s, your time here each week makes you stronger, kinder, and filled with power to make a difference wherever you go.

Warmest thoughts from a volunteer, who never dreamed she’d want to become a nurse….ever.

Sincerely,
Casey Monson
Inpatient Unit Volunteer, 2011-2012