Volunteer support for patients
Volunteers at our Children’s Minnesota – Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals are here to offer a little extra support to patients during their stay. Our friendly and caring volunteers love interacting with kids, bringing moments of joy and playfulness to their day during what can sometimes be a challenging time for families.
Our hospital volunteers can:
- Engage with patients through play at the bedside, on floor mats, or in unit playrooms as approved by staff.
- Offer comfort by holding and rocking babies while seated.
- Provide a variety of fun games and toys to patients.
- Make deliveries to patient rooms.
- Accompany patients in strollers, wagons, wheelchairs and play vehicles from the unit to playrooms.
- Clean and sanitize toys.
Our hospital volunteers cannot:
- Be present for a procedure of any kind (including PAWH animal teams).
- Lift/transfer patients to and from a bed/crib or to and from a wagon/stroller/wheelchair, etc.
- Enter patient rooms with the following precautions: airborne (purple), airborne and contact (lilac), airborne and contact with eye protection (red), enhanced immune system protection (teal).
- Feed patients (including bottle feeding).
- Adjust or alter medical equipment.
- Stand or walk while holding patients of any age.
- Transport a patient off the unit.
- Assist a patient with toileting or changing diapers.
- Supervise siblings without an adult caregiver present.
- Handle contaminated linens or sharps containers.
- Dispense medication of any kind.
- Access patient electronic medical records.
How to request a volunteer
Please ask a member of your care team, such as a nurse or child life specialist.
