Volunteering is good for your health
Medical studies show that volunteering helps people feel healthier, happier, and more connected. Findings indicate that older people who volunteer tend to be less depressed and feel healthier than those who do not volunteer.
In honor of National Volunteer Week, April 27-May 3, Battle Creek Health System would like to ask the community to pause and recognize all those who give of their time to help others.
BCHS volunteers began their efforts in the 1930s by raising monies for new hospital equipment, by making clothing for newborns, and by comforting patients, all in three- and four-hour shifts.
"Over the past decade this group of volunteers reached some amazing goals for this community through is support of a variety of projects," says Marlene Pardoe, BCHS director of customer services. "They purchased the Care-A-Van mobile health unit on wheels; neo-natal monitors for the BCHS Family Birth Center; and equipment for The Cancer Care Center, the new hospice residence, and the Orthopaedic Renewal Center Patient Activity & Rehabilitation Center. We are truly fortunate to have such a health group of volunteers caring about others here at the hospital."
The nearly 500 Battle Creek Health System Auxiliary and Red Cross volunteers donate more than 65,000 hours of their time every year.
So the next time you think about volunteering, remember that you not only help others, but you can also improve your own health along the way.
Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. with 12 hospitals, 9 nursing homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Battle Creek Health System as a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Orthopaedic Surgery Excellence Award(tm). HealthGrades is a leading health care information company that provides objective 'report card' ratings nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for the community and promotes wellness for the whole person with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.
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