April 12, 2019
By uclahealth 
“Twenty years ago my wife had cancer and was treated here. I decided at some point I would come back and be of assistance to the patients,” says Peter Berman, a volunteer for the past four years at the UCLA Health Boyer Oncology Center. “I saw a lot of individuals come in alone to get […]
Tags: National Volunteering Week, oncology, UCLA Boyer Oncology Center, volunteer, volunteering services
April 7, 2019
By uclahealth
“Volunteering is something that is really rewarding and is a great experience,” says Jason Thai, a pre-med student who volunteers at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “I volunteer in patient transport. Usually, I get a page or a call and help the patients go wherever they need. It’s important because this is a large hospital, […]
Tags: featured, hospital volunteer, National Volunteer Week, patient transport, volunteer
November 8, 2018
Volunteer, keep busy and take naps!
By UCLA50Plus 
With 25 years of volunteering under his belt, 93-year-old Norm Serra calls himself a “professional volunteer” – and understandably so. Two days a week, he volunteers for different UCLA Health departments, including its Spiritual Care office and UCLA Health 50-Plus program. On other days, you will find him delivering for Meals-on-Wheels or at the Corpus […]
October 22, 2018
It’s Not Their Illness, It’s Their Life
By uclahealth
“Jo Sue has written hundreds of biographies since she started the program,” says Carey McCarthy, not pictured, as she honored Jo Sue Whisler, a Living History Program volunteer in the hematology and oncology unit at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, for her outstanding service and dedication during the annual Auxiliary Awards Luncheon. Carey continues, “In […]
Tags: Auxiliary Awards Luncheon, hematology and oncology, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Health volunteers, volunteer
August 7, 2017
By uclahealth
“My dad’s a pediatrician and my mom is a physical therapist, so I grew up in hospitals,” says Matt Elias, who has been volunteering with his 2-year-old French bulldog, Pierre, at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for the past year as part of the UCLA People-Animal Connection program. “When I got Pierre, I realized I […]
Tags: featured, patients, pediatrician, pet therapy, physical therapist, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, staff, therapy dogs, UCLA People-Animal Connection, UCLA Volunteer, US News, volunteer
December 5, 2016
From Hole in Heart to Sharing Hope
By uclahealth
I was the picture of health, and I stopped off at a store to browse. I completely fainted.
Tags: clot, featured story, heart, Heart Month, neuro rehab center, patent foramen ovale, patient stories, patient story, recovery, stroke, volunteer
November 29, 2016
Post-election recipe for health: volunteer
As the election season recedes and the holidays approach, this may be the perfect time to decompress and reflect within about ourselves and our nation. For me, the process starts with taking a fresh look at the candidates’ slogans. Whether it’s “Make America Great Again” or “Stronger Together,” the message seems to be the same: […]
Tags: altruism, election, health, holidays, No One Dies Alone, UCLA Health volunteers, UCLA People-Animal Connection, volunteer, volunteer opportunities, volunteerism
June 7, 2016
Collaborations Bolster Growth of No One Dies Alone Program
By uclahealth
In 2014, UCLA’s departments of palliative care, spiritual care, social work and volunteer services worked together to create the No One Dies Alone (NODA) program. Two years after its launch, the program’s collaborative origins have served as the foundation of its continual growth and expansion. “The program’s collaborative elements have been the driving force behind […]
Tags: No One Dies Alone program, NODA, palliative care, People-Animal Connection, social work, spiritual care, volunteer, volunteer services
May 24, 2016
Yonkouski volunteers to help others through difficult recoveries
By uclahealth
Scott Yonkouski, Patient Liaison Volunteer, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Scott Yonkouski was so appreciative of the brain-tumor care he received, that he signed up to be a volunteer in the same department he was treated. What sparked your interest in volunteer work at UCLA Health? In April of 2008, I underwent surgery at Ronald […]
Tags: brain tumor, hematology, No One Dies Alone, No One Dies Alone program, Office of the Patient Experience, stem-cell transplant, volunteer
May 13, 2016
Why parents need a hospital playroom too
By Amy Albin 
Everyone knows that, for kids, being in the hospital is no fun. That’s why UCLA Health’s child life specialists make sure hospitalized kids still get to be kids. They staff playrooms, orchestrate social events and bring movies and games to kids’ bedsides. Now, child life experts nationwide are recognizing that kids’ parents, who are stressed […]
Tags: adult caregivers, Chase Child Life Program, child life specialists, children’s health, family resource room, family-centered care, Kellye Carroll, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, pediatric patient, Shannon Allbright, volunteer
