As National Volunteer Week is set to begin April 17, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital recognizes the work of its volunteers on whom the not-for-profit, faith-based ministry has relied on since its establishment as Oconto Falls City Hospital (later, Community Memorial Hospital) 100 years ago.
In 2021, volunteers at St. Clare donated more than 2,100 hours of service including helping patients and visitors navigate the hospital campus, comforting ill patients, assisting with record keeping and much more.
Among those volunteers are Regina Boettcher and Vicki Dobratz.
Before beginning her volunteer work, Boettcher was employed with St. Clare for nearly 30 years. After retiring in 2019, she wanted to continue to be a part of the hospital’s mission and offered her breadth of knowledge as a volunteer at the hospital’s welcome center. The role entails not only greeting everyone who walks through the doors, but also helping them find their way to appointments on the hospital campus. In some cases, volunteers also serve as a comforting presence for patients dealing with difficult situations.
“I have even sat with patients as they undergo chemotherapy treatment,” said Boettcher. “I just try to keep their mind off the task at hand and help them relax and not stress about what they are there to do.”
During Boettcher’s decades worth of work at the hospital, she says HSHS St. Clare Memorial’s volunteers have continuously been served as positive, public representatives of the facility — not only onsite but also within the Oconto Falls community.
“Oftentimes, our patients are the same people we go to church with and bump into at the grocery store,” said Boettcher. “Our volunteers truly are ambassadors for the hospital.”
Like Boettcher, Dobratz also spent most of her career at St. Clare. After retiring as a registered nurse, she wanted to be a part of the team of former colleagues, local teachers and other community members who volunteer at the hospital.
“Our rural hospital might not do everything, but what we do, we do better,” said Dobratz. “Our patients can often avoid a trip to Green Bay because we’re right here in town, and I love being one of the first faces they see when they get here.”
Volunteer Services Manager Mary Ann Brunette knows the value of having hospital volunteers — and ambassadors — like Boettcher and Dobratz within the community. She says while recruiting volunteers has grown more challenging during the pandemic, many still seek out volunteer opportunities because of the tremendous benefit the hospital provides to the community. With a 24-hour emergency department, urgent care, advanced surgical and medical services such as cancer care and orthopedics, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital was recognized this year as one of the top 100 critical access hospitals in the country.
“We are also a warm and friendly hospital, and our volunteers take pride in the service they provide here,” said Brunette.
Current volunteer opportunities available at St. Clare include working in the welcome center to greet patients and guests and assisting patients and visitors with wayfinding. Anyone interested in volunteering can call 920-433-8561 or visit www.hshs.org/StClare/Volunteer for information.
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital volunteers at heart of service
