Each year, nearly 1,000 CHOC volunteers provide more than 100,000 hours of service. Every day, they graciously donate their time and talents to help CHOC provide the very best pediatric services in Orange County. This week, CHOC celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we salute our dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers.
Volunteers come to CHOC for a variety of reasons: some wish to donate their time as a way to give back to a hospital that cared for their child, while others have an interest in medicine.
Jack Bruno is the latter. Having spent 39 years as a pediatrician and nearly 20 of those as vice president of medical affairs at an east coast hospital, Dr. Bruno has cared for thousands of children and their families. After retiring to sunny Southern California with his wife to be closer to his grown children, he decided to give back by volunteering his time at CHOC.
“When I moved to California, aside from family, I didn’t know too many people, and I knew that I wanted to have some contact within a pediatric hospital system,” says Dr. Bruno. “So much of my adult life had been engaged in health care, and since I had the time, I decided to volunteer. From living in Orange County I knew about CHOC and I thought I would apply to volunteer.”
As a lead patient hospitality volunteer, Dr. Bruno assists families during the discharge process and ensures they get safely from their hospital room to their car, and that nothing gets left behind. He also makes rounds on various units in the hospital, checking in with parents to see if there’s anything they need, even just a cup of coffee or break to have an adult conversation that’s non-medical. Even when his volunteer services are needed as a patient buddy, keeping a little one company and playing games while their parent has to run an errand, it’s rare that a family finds out that he was a pediatrician for nearly four decades.
“I don’t generally volunteer my background as a pediatrician and hospital executive since I am not in the room to provide medical advice. I leave that up to the excellent medical staff at CHOC,” Dr. Bruno says. “A couple of times it has come up when talking to a family, but hospitality volunteers are mainly there to provide companionship and some assistance.”
Dr. Bruno says that many of qualities he admired about his own patients he also sees in children and families at CHOC.
“One of the things I learned from years of practicing medicine and what I see again is a sense of fulfillment. Families are so strong. They often have various serious illnesses to battle, they might be in and out of the hospital frequently, but I draw strength from how they handle their situation,” Dr. Bruno says. “When you have a sick child, even if they will likely make a full recovery, it’s still a stressful experience for the parents and siblings. Part of the reason I like to volunteer is to see if I can help relieve some of that stress.”
Current volunteer opportunities at CHOC
Volunteers are a special group at CHOC that provides vital assistance in all hospital departments, as well as at CHOC at Mission Hospital.
Currently, our highest needs are weekday shifts from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Night and weekend opportunities are limited. Assignments ae based on a combination of the current needs of the patient population, as well as the interests and skill sets of the volunteer.
Some of our CHOC volunteers:
- Greet visitors as they arrive
- Escort families around the hospital
- Help visitors and families in the Family Resource Center
- Organize coloring and reading activities for patients in our waiting areas
- Assist our child life specialists in playrooms
Another aspect of our robust volunteer program is pet therapy, an opportunity for volunteers with dogs who are certified by Pet Partners, a non-profit that registers therapy animals. Pet therapy can play an important part of a patient’s treatment by minimizing stress associated with a hospitalization, offering normal-life experiences, offering a distraction from pain, and encouraging patients to complete treatment goals like walking. The pet therapy program at CHOC at Mission Hospital is currenty accepting volunteers. For more information, please email volunteers@choc.org.
