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Canton-Potsdam Hospital volunteers recognized at annual dinner

Posted 6/26/13

POTSDAM -- Over a hundred volunteers gathered recently for Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s annual volunteer recognition dinner at Clarkson University’s Cheel Campus Center. Volunteers with five years …

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Canton-Potsdam Hospital volunteers recognized at annual dinner

Posted

POTSDAM -- Over a hundred volunteers gathered recently for Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s annual volunteer recognition dinner at Clarkson University’s Cheel Campus Center.

Volunteers with five years of service and above were honored with a listing in the evening’s program and awards were given in several categories.

Pat Poste, patient registration greeter, received the 2013 Volunteer of the Year award. The award is given annually to a volunteer who is deemed most representative of the best qualities of volunteerism in a healthcare setting. These qualities include commitment to customer service, reliability and dedication to preserving patient privacy.

Shown receiving their awards are, from left, Lyndsay Macagg with Pat Poste, Ed Sachs with Macagg, and Sharon Cotey with Eileen Horton.

The new Dan Fritz Volunteer Service Award was given to Edward Sachs, volunteer chaplain. The award was named in memory of an employee who embodied community volunteerism, committing countless hours to community groups before his untimely death earlier this year.

The new Eileen Horton Volunteer Service Award was named for a volunteer who has dedicated over 45 years of service to the Potsdam Guild’s hospital gift shop. The award went to Sharon Cotey, a gift shop volunteer.

“When patients are more relaxed and comfortable because of a kind word or gesture from a volunteer, it improves the quality of the environment for care,” said David B. Acker, president and CEO.

“CPH has received recognition for high quality from the national Leapfrog Group and from IPRO, a New York quality-assurance organization. Volunteers are critical to providing quality care and you share in that recognition,” he told dinner guests.

“Since 2007 hours committed to volunteer service at CPH have grown from 5,248 to 18,500,” she said. “We have volunteers serving throughout our operation, as providers of spiritual care, as gift-shop managers and cashiers, as greeters, and as assistants to staff on special projects. These projects often provide area students with important real-world experience,” said Lyndsay Macagg, volunteer services and community events coordinator.

“Many people may not know that we have an all-volunteer Board of Directors, Foundation Board of Directors, and two hospital auxiliary groups who commit countless hours to guiding and supporting our hospital,” said Macagg. “Volunteering in healthcare takes a special person—people who are sensitive to issues of confidentiality, who are reliable, and who are the kind of people who want to help—these are the volunteers we look for,” she said.

To learn more about volunteering, contact Lyndsay Macagg at 261-5413.