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★ ★ ★ Salute to ★
★
★
★ ★ Volunteers ★ ★

GOOD SAMARITAN MEDICAL CENTER DELRAY MEDICAL CENTER

Marlene Duchatellier Lenore Katz

Marlene Duchatellier decided to become a hospital Lenore Katz had to be coaxed into volunteering by
volunteer at Good Samaritan Medical Center because of her daughter-in-law who’s a nurse. She’s certainly glad
the way she can help patients and their loved ones when she made the decision to volunteer at Delray Medical
they come to the hospital. In a way, she says she is doing Center. For nearly a year, Lenore has come to the hos-
it to honor her late mother, who once was hospitalized pital to try and bring a little joy to patients who may
and had volunteers help her with the care she needed not have much to look forward to. As Lenore puts it,
when she was a patient. Marlene worked in the banking she tries to lift their spirits, comfort them and allow
industry for many years and was a customer service rep- them to focus on something other than their stay in the
resentative. She says always being in contact with dif- hospital. Lenore enjoys hearing how the patients are
ferent people was a very rewarding experience, and it feeling and also likes to hear how she can make the
carries over into her job today of being a volunteer. Whenever someone thanks patient experience better. She feels each patient she meets is like having a new friend
Marlene for volunteering her time at the hospital, she always responds with the same in your life.
answer, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do something that I enjoy and
feel good about.” Chuck Pisciotta

Arlene Bick Chuck Pisciotta can easily recall his most memorable
moment as a volunteer at Delray Medical Center. It was
Arlene Bick has been volunteering at Good Samaritan with a patient who told him about her story to leave
Medical Center for 20 years. She is a familiar face to the Haiti and work for 22 years at a hospital in Detroit,
staff at the hospital and is always lending a warm smile Michigan cleaning bedpans. She beamed about how she
and good conversation to anyone she encounters. was able to bring up her daughter and was so apprecia-
Arlene works at the information desk and in the waiting tive of the job she had so she could give her daughter a
room helping loved ones who may have someone get- better life. Chuck spoke to this woman for hours and
ting a surgical procedure. Being able to volunteer at felt enlightened to live an even better life after his con-
Good Samaritan is particularly interesting to Arlene versation with her. When Chuck retired from the cor-
because of the history behind volunteering at the oldest porate world nearly 10 years ago, he was shocked to find how many non-profit organ-
hospital in Palm Beach County. Arlene has no plans to give up volunteering as she izations there were supporting senior citizens. Coming to Delray Medical Center
feels it’s the most rewarding experience you could ever have. seemed like the perfect fit, and now he has been at the hospital helping patients for
nearly two years. Chuck says he also volunteers because it gives him a platform to
help patients and volunteers understand they should not let anything in their lives
steal joy from them.

VITAS Celebrates Its Selfless Volunteers

While VITAS is delighted National Volunteer
Week runs from April -2 , we cherish our
priceless volunteer workers year-round.

Like all our hospice team members, our volunteers
are dedicated to patient-centered care:

• Paw-Pal® visits • Sewing Memory Bears

• Reading • Friendly phone calls

• Outings • Clerical jobs
• Celebrating • Reminiscing

The caring exemplified by VITAS
volunteers deserves to be highlighted
and appreciated 365 days a year!

800.93.VITAS
SINCE 1980 VITAS.com

20 April 2018 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News