Making life easier for the frontline: Volunteers turn out to support care providers during surge

Lea Kaiser saw how the pressure of the recent COVID-19 surge was affecting nurses and other frontline healthcare workers. So Kaiser, who is Fairview’s director of financial operations, jumped at the chance to help.

Though Kaiser is not a clinical worker, she volunteered in the emergency department at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center. She cleaned rooms, welcomed patients and brought them to their rooms, and delivered meals, among other tasks.

"Volunteering allowed me to get out and help frontline workers who have been navigating through some challenging times,” Kaiser said. “At the same time, I was able to continue to learn, which helps me do my job better."  

Kaiser is among the dozens of nonclinical workers who responded to a call for volunteer support in patient care areas that are swamped with patients and experiencing staffing challenges due to the recent COVID-19 surge caused by the omicron variant. Only non-clinical staff were asked to volunteer to avoid placing an additional burden on care providers who are already feeling the significant strain of nearly two years of pandemic care.

The volunteers sign up to help outside of regular working hours. They do not provide clinical care. Instead, they take on many of the more routine but important tasks that are important to the daily function of medical units, like stocking supplies or setting up patient rooms. Documentation and an efficient orientation are provided upfront so volunteers can carry out tasks without concern that they are becoming a distraction for the clinical team at work.

"I was eager to help but also didn't want to get in the way of the flow that the clinical staff has established to make sure their patients are cared for,” said Kaiser. “The health unit coordinator, charge nurse, and unit manager went out of their way to make sure I felt welcome. They even had a laminated document on the wall listing all the things I can help with." 

“The team was surprised and grateful for the help,” said Karen Whiley, chief nursing officer and vice president of operations. “They appreciate knowing that the broader system knows how challenging it has been for them and that non-clinical staff members are willing to give up some of their own personal time to help in any way they can.”

“Lea was willing to step in right away to help us throughout the department in whatever way she could such as cleaning rooms and stocking IV carts,” said Thida Uk, a health unit coordinator at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital, where Kaiser has also volunteered. “Having the extra set of hands to clean and stock went a long way for the staff in the ED, especially when it was busy. We were so thankful that Lea took the time to come help us on a Friday evening and hope that others will take the opportunity to be an extra set of hands for our staff in the ED in the future, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

Though Kaiser leads a busy life navigating her personal and professional commitments, she recognized that her contribution could help her colleagues and the wider community.

"I guarantee even if you volunteer just one time, you will walk away knowing that you made a colleague's life a little easier that day, you helped make a difference in our patients' care, and you helped our community to become a healthier place. Most of all, you helped yourself learn and grow.”