Hospital: Did This Year Matter?

Did This Year Matter?

Deep question, right? Certainly, there was the year we planned, and the year we had. It is right to ask ourselves, “Did this year matter as much as the year we thought we were going to have?”  Short answer: YES! Maybe more so. Just about anyone can navigate a vessel when the seas are calm, but songs of legend and lore aren’t sung about fair-weather sailors. Sagas are remembered of those whose journey was one of overcoming. If you don’t believe me, just ask our veteran patients. Their journey is one of sacrifice, hardship and valor. They have mattered in their lives, and so they matter to us. As we have struggled to maintain our mission to serve them in their hours of need, we had a small taste of struggle, and no small measure of hardship. As a part of the VFW Auxiliary’s Hospital Program this year did you H.O.S.P.I.T.A.L. through it all?

• Help
• Others
• Share
• Perspective
• Inspire
• Teach
• And
• Lead

That is what this year required. It was not a year for totin’ donations and donatin’ dollars…It was a year of finding new ways to maintain essential connections to our veteran patients. This past year we had time to find out as much as we could about our women warriors’ health needs and how we can better advocate for them. It was a year to step into the technology gap and become a bridge to telehealth, and a techno-wizard against patient isolation and loneliness. Many of us rediscovered the simple pleasure of cutting and pasting valentines to shower our patients with love, and others dipped their toes into the waters of Hospital volunteerism without ever having to step foot into a hospital.

We had to “H.O.S.P.I.T.A.L.” without access to the hospital, and we did it! So, what will you do next? Anyone who can pull off a stunt like we just did is capable of superhero status in the area of veteran advocacy, so how will you make your time here count? If you continue in the Hospital Program going forward, retain the lessons learned this year. “Sempre Gumby” Always Flexible!

• When the mission changes, you change with it.
• Be an informed advocate and a skilled volunteer.
• Be ready when the opportunity hits.
• Adopt new ways of reaching our veteran patients.
• Seek solutions to current problems.
• Serve in new places and facilities.
• Do something new (better yet…do three new things).
• Don’t forget the staff who serve our veterans.
• Recognize those making things happen.
• Have FUN doing what you love for the veterans we love!

The Hospital Program is a heart thing, it requires more than just skill to serve our most vulnerable veterans. It will take a piece of your heart…and it will change you in ways that last a lifetime. If you serve in the Hospital Program, our veteran patients will NEVER forget you.

• 72-HR ER/Urgent Care Phone Notification:  844-72HRVHA (844-724-7842)