Liz Eilf

Lehigh Regional Medical Center is looking for some good volunteers people who can donate a certain amount of hours a week to the hospital, according to Liz Eilf, vice president of the Lehigh Regional Hospital Auxiliary who is in charge of volunteers and membership.

Eilf was the executive director of Lehigh Acres Community Services for 18 years and has lived in Lehigh for 37 years. In retirement, she devotes her time as a volunteer herself and as a member of the Auxiliary.

“We have volunteers, about 50 or so of them, in various parts of the hospital, such as the Emergency Room, the front information desk, medical records, the gift shop, the greeter at the next door Medical complex, in accounting, and at various other areas in the hospital, including the second and third floors where they help nurses with patients.

Volunteers are never in direct contact with a patient, but they may be asked to use a wheelchair to move them to some part of the hospital and things like that. In the ER, they will communicate with families who are waiting and may assist in some way if needed by the medical staff.

“Lehigh Regional Medical Center is a very nice and friendly place to volunteer. We have people like Joanie Jeanette, the hospital’s CEO, and her staff and they are compassionate and caring people,” Eilf said.

Those who volunteer supply their own uniforms. For the women, it is composed of a white blouse and white slacks and a pink vest which can be purchased at the gift shop at the hospital. The men will supply their own uniform which will compose of white pants and a pale blue shirt.

Eilf does all the scheduling for the volunteers.

“They are a major part of our hospital even though they are volunteers and not paid staff. Without them, it would be difficult in many areas of the hospital,” Eilf said.

“Often, a volunteer may have to resign or quit and he or she has to be replaced. I keep a list of assignments for the volunteers and the areas of the hospital where they help out,” she said.

Eilf herself, serves seven hours on Tuesday at the Surgical Desk. She also fills in at times when a volunteer has an emergency or is unable to be on hand for the assignment.

Volunteers usually work four-hour shifts on different days of the week. Some serve maybe one shift while others serve more than one shift, she said.

She provides a list of volunteers to the CEO and management of the hospital so they know who is volunteering and where they are.

Eilf said she is looking for additional volunteers.

“I ask them to contact me at 218-7883 or they can stop by the front information desk at the hospital and get an application. Each person’s background is checked out,” she said.

Eilf then gets in touch with the applicant and sets up an interview at the hospital.

“Then we go from there,” she said. “I will assign them an area and the times to volunteer their services,” she said. “A nice thing about those who volunteer is that they get a free lunch if they are on duty.”

“There is an increased demand for volunteers as the hospital grows. Once people are accepted and a spot is not available, they go on a waiting list,” Eilf said. “I will call them at an appropriate time when we need them to come and help out.”

Eilf has been vice president of the Auxiliary since January and is likely to become its president this coming year.

“We call the women volunteers ‘Pink Ladies’ and the men volunteers are ‘Blue Men,'” she said.

“I think those who volunteer at the hospital get a really good feeling for helping out others. I know I do,” she said.