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

MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PEMBROKE MEMORIAL REGIONAL HOSPITAL SOUTH

Barbara Goldberger Fatima Silva

For the past four years, Barbara Goldberger has put There is likely no peer at Memorial Regional Hospital
“worthwhile hours” in as a volunteer at Memorial South that better understands what stroke survivors are
Hospital Pembroke. She helps in pre-op two mornings a experiencing than Fatima Silva. Silva, a clinical social
week, assisting with patient communication, paperwork, work registered intern, suffered a stroke at the age of 38
and bringing food supplies to the area. and now mentors others going through the same inpatient
“My satisfaction comes from putting smiles on faces,” and outpatient rehabilitation she did. “I can relate to their
said the retired X-ray technician. “I like meeting a variety situation on so many levels, so I’m able to explain the jour-
of people and making friends, so it’s much better than sit- ney and answer questions.
ting at home.” What I hope they’ll see in me is they don’t have to
Goldberger worked for 43 years at hospitals in South accept their current fate and there can be a return to a
Florida and found that she was bored in retirement. Given her long career in healthcare, quality life after such a traumatic experience,” said Silva, a volunteer since 2015.
it made perfect sense that she give her time and energy to Memorial Hospital Pembroke, While she assists others, Silva is also helping herself, using her time at the hospital to
a facility close to her home in Pembroke Pines. “People always say, ‘it’s nice that you do test her body’s abilities as she plans a return to a career in social work. The slow and
that,’ but I definitely get more out of it than I give to it.” steady approach Silva learned during her own rehab at Memorial is paying dividends, for
herself and others working to go beyond what they may think are their limitations.
Kristina Benoualid
Janet Sasoni
During her time as a volunteer at Memorial Hospital
Pembroke, Kristina Benoualid has learned something about For more than 11 years, Janet Sasoni has been a volun-
herself. “I like to contribute to people’s lives. A small teer at Memorial Regional Hospital South, assisting the
amount of time can make a big difference.” efforts of the Human Resources department. Most days
Benoualid operates the coffee cart two days a week, pro- that means filing and data entry, but she’s always willing to
viding treats and refreshments to grateful patients and staff. help “wherever I’m needed.” Sasoni also serves on two of
Nursing stations are among her regular stops, where she the hospital’s committees, one focused on volunteers and
caters to some of the busiest people at the hospital. “I the other on family and patient care.
remember who likes what and try to provide personalized “I enjoy the camaraderie,” the Brooklyn native said. “All
service,” said Benoualid, a student at Florida International the people I come in contact with are friendly, nice, and
University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing very helpful.”
(BSN) degree. She is especially interested in preventative care for chronic illnesses. Sasoni has a long history with healthcare entities. She worked in the budget depart-
Memorial Hospital Pembroke provides a wide scope of essential healthcare services in ment at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach for 20 years prior to coming to the
a compassionate community setting. Its specialties include a bariatric/weight loss surgery Memorial Healthcare System.
program and wound healing center. Her hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South, is home to the Memorial
Rehabilitation Institute, South Florida’s largest provider of physical rehabilitation servic-
es. The facility specializes in treating patients that have lost limbs, had strokes, or suffered
MEMORIAL REGIONAL HOSPITAL
traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries.

Barbara Smith MEMORIAL HOSPITAL MIRAMAR

On the 8th floor of the mother/baby unit where she volun-
teers, everyone knows the “Cookie Lady.” Marjorie Warner
She’s Barbara Smith, and in the six years the retired educator
has spent at Memorial Regional Hospital, she’s made delivering For Marjorie Warner, a volunteer for the past eight years
“ooey, gooey, fresh, and chewy” treats her calling card. “I’m told at Memorial Hospital Miramar, satisfaction comes from
the number of patients in the unit, known as the ‘the happy meeting and assisting the wide variety of people that come
floor,’ and bake enough cookies for all the moms and dads.” and go through the hospital’s front door.
With more than 1,700 volunteer hours under her belt, Smith “I may be the first or last person they see,” said the
does more than just deliver cookies two days a week. She’s also retired Miami-Dade School food service administrator.
president of the Volunteer Auxiliary and recently implemented “Some are nervous and apprehensive, some, especially the
the “Each One Reach One” theme with the expectation of new moms and dads, are excited, but it’s rewarding to help
increasing the number of adult volunteers in the Memorial them with whatever their situation may be.”
Healthcare System. During her time as the group’s leader, Smith In addition to working at the information desk, Warner
is also focused on increasing board involvement and participation by members. answers phones, accepts and delivers flowers, and discharges patients. She volunteers
twice a week and calls the staff and administration at Memorial Hospital Miramar “a
Maitane Orue close-knit family.”

What started as a way to get the required volunteer serv- Millie Renedo
ice time for graduation has become, four years and more
than 525 hours later, a place where Maitane Orue has For nearly eight years, Millie Renedo has considered
found a second family. herself an “ambassador” at Memorial Hospital Miramar.
The teen from St. Thomas Aquinas High School started From her post at the information desk, she directs visitors,
her volunteer career working with patient information at helps with the overflow of phone calls from the switch-
Memorial Regional Hospital before moving to her current board, discharges patients, and accepts flower deliveries.
place in its gift shop. Orue’s efforts earned her the 2018 She’s also proud of her ability to flow to wherever help is
Robert Groeninger Memorial Regional Hospital Volunteer needed.
Teen Scholarship, an award she’ll put toward her education “I approach everything with a smile and words of kind-
at the University of Central Florida. There she’ll pursue an undergraduate degree that she ness, that’s my life philosophy,” said Renedo. “I love volun-
expects will lead her to law school. teering and want to bring the best I can to what I do.”
But Orue isn’t waiting for college to impact those around her. In addition to the volun- Renedo is also part of the hospital’s Patient and Family Care Committee and enjoys the
teer work at the hospital, she’s started a nonprofit, S.O.S. Countries Inc., that has already impact she’s able to have within the healthcare system. She had been on-site in Miramar
raised more than $10,000 to aid people in distress in Venezuela and Puerto Rico. two days a week, before recently cutting back to one to help at home with a new grand-
child. “I’m a person that gets more happiness giving than receiving,” said Renedo.

24 April 2018 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News