Area Students Graduate from Volunteer Program at Sacred Heart Hospital in Port St. Joe

Several area students ages 14 and older had the unique opportunity to participate in a summer volunteer program at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf in Port St. Joe. Throughout the program, the teens were able to gain work-related experience and explore a variety of career opportunities in the healthcare industry.

Specific requirements of the program included attending a volunteer orientation session at the beginning of the summer, volunteering eight hours each week, and participating in the capstone project at the end of the summer. During their volunteer shifts, the students helped provide guest services for patients and visitors in a variety of departments, including administration, surgery, physical therapy, and the emergency department. Specific volunteer duties included accompanying guests to their destination, providing coffee and blankets to guests in the waiting areas, helping healthcare workers prep patient care rooms, and much more.

“Our hope in hosting this program is to help open the doors to students who are considering the medical field before they enter college,” said Paulina Pendarvis, Volunteer Coordinator. “I am very pleased with how the program turned out and look forward to growing the program for years to come.”

The summer volunteer program concluded on Aug. 4 when the students spent several hours rotating through special presentations at the hospital, featuring a pulmonary function lab, an educational skit performed by the surgery department, a tour of the lab, and the opportunity to view imaging procedures.

Two of the 10 students who participated in the program have requested permanent assignments on the hospital’s volunteer team. Four students completed all of the requirements to successfully graduate from the summer program, including Tyler Atkinson, Maggie Langston, Drue Nunneley and Cathlyn Robles.

Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf, a 25 bed hospital, opened its doors to patient care on March 15. The new hospital features 24-hour emergency care, inpatient services, surgical services, a full component of diagnostic and laboratory services, and a helipad to be used by Sacred Heart’s regional air ambulance service to provide rapid transport of trauma or critically ill patients. The hospital recently introduced outpatient infusion services, pulmonary function testing and gastrointestinal screenings, including colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures.

For more information about the volunteer program at Sacred Heart, please call Paulina Pendarvis, Volunteer Coordinator, at (850) 229-5627 or visit www.sacredheartonthegulf.org.