Giving back virtually

Our volunteers found creative ways to continue supporting the hospital when in-person volunteering was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our dedicated Pet-Assisted Therapy (PAT) volunteers held virtual visits with dogs for staff and caregivers (top). Our Reiki volunteers (bottom) also held virtual sessions for staff.

In March 2020, in-person volunteering at Huntington Hospital was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While our dedicated volunteers were unable to carry out their work on campus during this time, many decided to help out virtually. Here are a few of the ways these thoughtful community members pitched in.

“A big thank you to our volunteers for continuing to go above and beyond during the pandemic,” says Stacy Miller, director of volunteer services. “We are so grateful!”

Pet-Assisted Therapy

Our Pet-Assisted Therapy program (PAT) connects patients with special canine volunteers — each of which is lovingly trained to work in the hospital. Hospital staff members, too, benefit from visits from our pet therapy dogs, during often-stressful work days.

When our PAT program was temporarily suspended during the pandemic, one of our PAT volunteers, Karen Willaman, began coordinating virtual visits with our PAT dogs for staff and caregivers via Zoom. “Staff enjoyed still being able to talk to and see the dogs,” says Karen. “It was a brief escape from the stress of the pandemic, and helped to lift everyone’s spirits.”

Reiki

Reiki is an ancient practice that uses energy to promote healing. Originally practiced in Japan, the treatment is used in conjunction with standard medical care. It can help reduce stress, improve relaxation and ease the side effects of medication. Trained Reiki practitioners have served Huntington Hospital patients, a well as caregivers and staff since 2015.

When COVID-19 hit, we were forced to pause Reiki treatments at the hospital. However, Angela Johnson and Heather Nicholson, two of our Reiki volunteers, still wanted to do something to help staff cope with these challenging times. Together with Sarah Stockham, founder of Reiki Claremont, they developed a virtual Reiki model. Angela, Heather and Sarah then recruited other Reiki practitioners to participate. “We wanted to give back to staff on the front lines who have worked so hard to keep us safe,” says Angela.

Senior CareLine

Older adults can be hit especially hard by prolonged social isolation, with negative impacts on their overall health. In response, Huntington Senior Care Network (SCN) created their Senior CareLine. This free phone-based service matches seniors with one of our friendly volunteers to chat with by phone from time to time, helping them safely stay socially connected. If you are interested in getting connected to this service, call SCN’s membership line at (626) 397-3147 or (800) 664-4664.