Kossuth County Hospital issued the following announcement on July 15.
Auxiliary volunteers have returned to service at Kossuth Regional Health Center, with a new volunteer coordinator at the helm.
Barb Runneberg, Process Excellence and Quality Director at KRHC, took on the role of volunteer coordinator this year following the retirement of the previous coordinator, Shelly Harms. Volunteers have been on hiatus since March of 2020 when COVID-19 first emerged in Iowa. Following a volunteer orientation held July 9, volunteers returned to their duties in registration and other areas of KRHC as needed.
"Bringing back our volunteers is a big celebration for all of us," said Runneberg. "Many of our volunteers have been eager to get back to volunteering, and our staff is glad to have their help. Our hope is to bring volunteers back in a way that takes everyone's safety and wellness into consideration and benefits our patients and guests."
Volunteers are not required to be vaccinated for COVID-19. However, volunteers are asked to wear a mask while at KRHC, which continues to be an expectation for employees, patients and guests.
The Auxiliary has a long tradition in Kossuth County that goes back nearly as far as the hospital's history. According to the Auxiliary scrapbooks, the first Auxiliary meeting for St. Ann's Hospital was held on June 21, 1949. There were 306 members the first year, and 661 the second year. Committee members initially focused on the opening reception for the hospital, rooms in the hospital and future social programs.
Throughout the following decades, the Auxiliary provided much of the momentum that fueled outreach programs, new equipment, fundraising efforts and beautification of the facility. Some of the early programs offered by the Auxiliary still exist today, such as the annual Tag Day fundraiser.
"We are so grateful for the hard work and dedication the Auxiliary has invested in our local health care systems. Our organization would not be where we are today without them," Runneberg said.
Today the Auxiliary has 231 members. To learn more about volunteering at KRHC, please contact Barb Runneberg at 515-295-2451 or stop by the KRHC booth at the Kossuth County Fair.
Original source can be found here.
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