Jacksonville Memorial Hospital volunteer schedule lists weekly service roles

Volunteers will fill the gift shop, stand at ER entrances and cover oncology and rehabilitation services at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital during the week of May 25. The assignments may look routine, but they handle the small tasks that help visitors find their way, ease traffic at entry points and reduce pressure on hospital employees.

Memorial Health says Jacksonville Memorial Hospital is a critical access hospital serving patients in Brown, Cass, Greene, Morgan and Scott counties. It also describes JMH as the largest critical access hospital in Illinois and says the hospital has provided healthcare services since 1875, which places the volunteer schedule inside one of the region’s longest-running health institutions.

Pam Martin, executive director of the Jacksonville Memorial Foundation and Volunteers, said volunteers “always bring the smiles” and help wherever needed. Phil Sallee of Pleasant Plains, who has volunteered at JMH for six years, said, “I love the opportunity to do something useful” and added that his favorite part is “interacting with staff.”

That work stretches beyond the areas listed on the weekly schedule. Memorial Health says its volunteer program operates across multiple hospitals and includes hospice volunteers who make home visits and support patients, families and friends. In Jacksonville, the volunteer presence has also shown up through the Jacksonville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, which has supported kidney and dialysis screenings, comfort bears for pediatric emergency department patients, newspapers for patients, the hospital 5K/10K, blood drives, employee appreciation efforts, seasonal decorating and scholarships.

For families, visitors and staff, the weekly schedule is more than a staffing note. It is a snapshot of the community support that keeps a regional hospital running day to day, from the first person met at the entrance to the volunteers helping behind the scenes.

Jacksonville Memorial Hospital’s main phone number is 217-245-9541.