‘Just helping out and meeting new people regularly is worth it’
John Love was a Salem-Keizer Cherriots transit operator and instructor for almost 40 years. Last summer, he decided to use his driving experience to volunteer.
After seeing an ad for Salem Health’s Connections transportation services, John started volunteering in August.
“I bring patients to and from their appointments, patients who don’t have another way to get there,” John said. “I normally drive two to four patients in the morning, and I might drive one or two in the afternoon.”
Meeting a community need
Connections is a program that’s free to patients, funded by Cherriots and the West Valley Hospital Foundation. Volunteers like John pick Polk County patients up from their homes and drive them directly to their appointments within the county.
“It’s meeting a real need,” John said. “There are some patients who don’t have families, friends or neighbors who can take them, and it’s not practical to use the regional buses. They might not qualify for the LIFT disability service, and that involves scheduling further in advance. People are very appreciative that Connections does exist.”
John volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but he makes himself available to do more than that most weeks.
Make a difference in health care with flexible volunteer hours
The volunteer said at least one patient schedules their appointments on his days as a driver.
“I’m friendly and positive and easily get into conversations, as long as they seem like they want to have a conversation,” John said.
John said he would highly recommend this hospital volunteer opportunity to anyone who enjoys public service.
“Just helping out people and meeting new people regularly is worth it,” he said. “It’s a great, flexible volunteer opportunity.”
How to become a hospital volunteer
Are you interested in volunteering at Salem Health? Click here to learn more about how you can give back and join our team.