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Providence caregivers volunteer to help neighbors and communities
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Helping people is part of the reason Vaughn enjoys her career as a data analyst at Providence in Missoula, Montana. The Providence family of organizations understand that supporting community health and well-being means reaching beyond hospitals, clinics and office buildings; that’s why Providence includes services and operations such as supportive housing.
So when caregivers at Providence St. Patrick Hospital volunteered to spend St. Patrick’s Spirit Week serving meals and handing out gift cards to residents experiencing homelessness at the Missoula Family Housing Center, Vaughn jumped in. She not only lent a helping hand to families in a time of crisis, but also learned how important it is to provide people with a sense of safety, security and hope in addition to a warm meal.
ince she was a child, Gloria Vaughn has always felt compelled to give back. Her parents were both very active in the community when it came
to volunteering at food banks and soup kitchens. And their devotion more than rubbed off on their daughter. “In my house, we have always helped,” says Vaughn. “We didn’t have much, but we wanted to share.”
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“In my house, we have always helped ...
We didn’t have much, but we wanted
to share.”
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The environment affects our health
Brandi Gustafson likes to say that she “grew up in Providence.” For almost 20 years, she has worked for the organization as a registered nurse. She also grew up in small-town Oregon, always eager to promote and protect the unique natural wonder of the region.
“If you’re an Oregonian, it’s in your blood to care about the environment,” says Gustafson. “The environment impacts our health. Protecting it with proper management is important to a lot of people.”
When Gustafson’s current place of work, Providence Seaside Hospital, was looking for volunteers to commemorate Earth Day 2022 by picking up garbage and litter, she was ready to take the lead. She and a team of 29 other volunteers filled 33 trash bags full of refuse and debris from two miles of beach and nearby forests — along with one abandoned recliner.
— GLORIA VAUGHN
DATA ANALYST & VOLUNTEER
PROVIDENCE
A rejuvenating experience
Many people who choose health care as a profession have a natural desire to serve their community. Yet in recent years, working in the sector has often been taxing for even the most passionate caregivers. Volunteering their spare time might seem like a big ask.
“Weekend dinner shifts are usually tricky to fill — it’s a hard time to be away from home,” says Hollie Timmons, with community health investment at Providence St. Patrick. “Gloria not only took Friday night, but she saw the next night that there was only one volunteer working, so she signed up again. She’s truly a person of Providence.”
Across the not-for-profit system’s seven-state coverage area, there are many people like Vaughn and her coworkers in Missoula. Even though their projects may respond to different needs, they are all furthering the Providence vision to create health for a better world.
Gustafson says that Providence’s commitment to support caregiver volunteering outside of the hospital is personally valuable because it gives her an opportunity to care for the environment. She also believes it’s one way for Providence to be a community leader.
“It’s important to marry our core values to those of the community and build that bridge,” says Gustafson. “We also have to recognize and champion how important the environment is to our health. That’s the responsibility of
health care.”
Kate Jorgenson, program manager with Providence’s global and domestic engagement team in the Puget Sound Region of Washington, has a different view. She says that many caregivers actually enjoy volunteerism as a chance to
get out of the hectic work-home-work routine.
“There is definitely burnout in health care, especially on the front lines of care,” says Jorgenson. “These opportunities to go outside of our job and connect with our community can be rejuvenating.”
Jorgenson says she witnessed this reinvigoration when she helped organize a group of 10 volunteers who spent a day removing invasive plants from a community park
near SeaTac.
“It says to the community that we care,” says Jorgenson. “And for the caregivers, it’s a reminder of why we started in health care in the first place.”
Whether it’s cleaning up the local beach, tending to a park, or helping families get a fresh start, caring for the people and places outside of hospital walls is a vital part of what Providence, and its people, are all about.
“When I got to Providence, I knew they did these sorts of activities. I love it,” says Vaughn. “It’s so important for Providence’s Mission.”