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HEELEIN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 10201 COVEll RICHMOND. ILL. 60071 (815)678-6471 -MASONRY- CONGRATULATIONS N.I.M.C. MchENRY COUNTY GLASS 921 N. FRONTS!. McHENRY, ILL. - (815)385*7990 CONGRATULATIONS ! N.I.M.C. PETER MJUSTEN 4 SON FUNERAL HOME WELCOME NO. ILL. McHENRY CENTER TEMPUS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES 3613 RICHMOND RD. McHENRY. IL. (815)344-1496 • •ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS PACE 4 Volunteers By definition, volunteers are those people who provide a service without any obligation to do so. At Northern Illinois Medical Center (NIMC), the volunteers do have an obligation to perform. Theirs is an obligation to one's self in the simple fact that they care. The volunteers at NIMC are yoimg and old, men and women, coming from all over the hospital's service area-western Lake County and all of McHenry County. The president of the NIMC auxiliary, Gloria Sprague, said the concept behind the volunteers is just to be of service to the hospital. The volunteers provide a myriad of services. They man the information desk, help in directing patients and visitors, work in the admissions of­ fice, outpatient, escort services, pastoral care, and perform the day- Unlay tasks to make a person's stay more comfortable. One of the services provided by the volunteers is "Telecare." Sprague said there are about 30 senior citizens who live by themselves and who are called daily between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. "We call just to say, 'Hi,' and to check on their safety," Sprague said. "We usually try to call neighbors or relatives betore tne police, v. hen there is no answer." The people taking advantage of the program are usually referred by friends, family or the physician. "I've talked to people1 for five and never met them," Sprague said. "I know all about their families and tijpy know all about mine, but we've never met." Volunteers also staff the Pink Door Shop, on Green Street, where clothes, small appliances, etc. can be pur­ chased at very reasonable prices, and the Thrift shop at NIMC, which has many handy items for the patients. In all, there are about 150 volun­ teers helping at the hospital in various capacities. The auxiliary is also looking forward to the arrival of - a new director, Judith Buckley, who is coming to NIMC from Good Samaritan Hospital. The services provided by the volunteers also represents a sizeable economic savings for NIMC. According to a hospital spokesman, NIMC realizes a savings of about give definition to the word 'care' 180,000 each year and that is a con­ servative estimate based on minimum wage. ' "Hie nicest thing is that these are people caring for people. It's a marvelous thing for retired men and women to do," Sprague said. Retirees are not the only people who volunteer their time and energy. Teenagers also help out. The "Volunteen" program is very successful and Sprague said the 40 members were "very active" this summer, especially with the move from downtown McHenry to the new building. "The volunteers are trained and they know what they can and cannot do," Sprague said. She commented that many of the older patients particularly enjoy having the young adults come to their rooms. In the outpatient department as well, the volunteers have made quite an impression. Under the chair manship of Jane Althoff, the volun­ teers help in many ways, including taking care of relatives and other people in the waiting room. Tours of the NIMC facility, taking patients to lab or radiology depart­ ments are all essential parts of the volunteers' domain. "I worked in a hospital for years and years and never really un­ derstood the volunteers. I just thought they were those nice people passing out trays and menus," Sprague said. "The old idea of only the rich people volunteering their time is just not so. It's everyday people who have something to give." The manager of the Pink Door Thrift Shop on Green Street, Pat Szerecsen, holds the current record for the highest number of volunteer hours for an active auxiliary member. Szerecsen has logged well over 8,0t0 hours as a volunteer for Northern Illinois Medical Center.