Volunteers play an important role in terms of helping patients with the Sunrise Health Region.
That was part of the message the SHR’s Board heard last week as part of the annual Human Resources Portfolio Report presented by Christina Denysek.
The numbers show an increased need for volunteers. Denysek provided the Board with a chart showing the in the period 2003/04 to 2009/10 while generally rising each year requests for volunteer support was under 500 per year within the region.
In 2010/11 the number hit 737, in part because of new immunization programs in which volunteers play a role.
In 2014/15 requests for volunteer help hit 2664, up from 1823 just a year earlier.
Denysek told the board that on average a volunteer puts in three hours each time they undertake to do something within the Region, and based on more than 2,600 requests that is a lot of hours to help make patient stay more comfortable, or to help other programs work more efficiently.
And if you were to have to pay even minimum wage, there is a substantial dollar value to volunteer efforts, said Denysek. At $10.20 per hour, the 2664 requests at three hours per request would translate into a saving of $81,518 if the SHR were having to pay for the volunteer efforts.
Volunteer efforts are spilt into two general areas.
The first is where volunteers offer support of SHR efforts such as aiding the influenza immunization campaign, Meals on Wheels delivery, a palliative care help.
Then there is volunteer programming including greeting at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre, baby rocking, and operating the magazine cart in both Canora and the YRHC.
In 2014/15 the biggest area of requests for volunteers was as greeters at 34 per cent of requests received, Meals On Wheels 27 per cent, driving eight per cent, magazine cart five per cent and immunization aid four per cent.
