Want to volunteer? Become a
part of the CMH Auxiliary! Call
Laura Lenhardt in Volunteer
Services at 503-325-4321.
CMH
has over 80 volunteers
working in the hospital and in
Hospice to directly support our
patient care. e volunteers have
some of the best jobs at CMH
because they get to work directly
with patients and their families every
day at the hospital.
Helping throughout
the hospital
e Planetree philosophy embraces
the idea that an environment of calm,
care and concern strengthens healing.
Our volunteers
embody these
qualities in an
exceptional
way. Volunteers
work as greeters
and guides who
help patients and families navigate
through the hospital. ey alleviate
anxiety for our patients and their
Helping
patients,
aiding
sta
The di erence a volunteer
makes
families with a reassuring smile, kind
words or a simple cup of co ee—little
things, perhaps, but for a patient or a
family member waiting for their loved
one to nish a procedure or a surgery,
it is the little kindnesses that make
all the di erence.
Over the past year, our volunteers
have been instrumental in building
seven new programs at CMH. ey
now work directly with patients
in the Companion
programs, sitting with
patients at their bedsides
reading, reminiscing,
alleviating fears, and
helping patients keep
comfortable and safe.
Volunteers even work in the CMH
Emergency Department, watching
over patients at risk under the
supervision of the sta . As some of
our most fragile patients, they need
to have someone close who cares.
Cookies and caring
Our volunteers not only bring
joy to our patients, but to sta as
well. Our volunteer bakers make
regular and sugar-free cookies in the
family room, and the aroma spreads
throughout the hallways. e
volunteers take their fresh-baked,
chocolate-chips-melting cookies to
patients and sta alike. Everyone
looks forward to cookie days.
Walking down the CMH hallways,
a person might also see a volunteer
wheeling the Big Red Cart from
room to room. Filled with goodies—
including aromatherapy spritzers,
zebra-striped fuzzy socks, books,
CDs and sudoku puzzles—patients
choose comfort items that make
their stay a bit brighter. Cart items
are gi ed to patients through the
support of the Auxiliary fund.
All of the contributions our
volunteers make in their roles at
CMH enhance the homelike and
healing environment of the CMH
Planetree mission. Our volunteers
give freely of their time and talents
and are much appreciated by
patients, families and sta alike.
The CMH Auxiliary
volunteers help patients and staff alike.
www . columbiamemorial . org
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Brightening lives in Hospice
Our Hospice volunteers live the hospital
philosophy of being aware of the patient
in body, mind and spirit. Working in
patients’ homes and community facilities,
Hospice volunteers bring much-needed
support to patients nearing the end of their
lives. The volunteers follow the patients’
requests: listening, reading, massaging
hands and feet, cooking light meals—
even changing a cat box once in a while!
Our Hospice volunteers have a rare
combination of compassion, gentleness,
patience and independence. They are
sharp observers and have alerted the
nurses and social workers to subtle
changes in the patient’s condition or to
new concerns, such as those regarding
family issues. Volunteers are a vital
part of the Hospice team, for whom
compassion is a daily way of life.