Positive Outcomes

A Volunteer Impact Story

Concord Hospital has many positive outcomes from volunteers who work with patients, but we also see how much volunteers impact our staff, in turn allowing them to provide excellent patient care.

Melissa, director of women and children’s value stream at The Family Place, had a challenging week due to a significant and sudden loss. One day while walking by the hospital gift shop between meetings, she heard beautiful guitar music coming from the chapel. While Melissa is not one to visit a place of worship, the sound drew her in on an extremely hard day. She sat in the back row while Billie, a volunteer with Concord Hospital Patient & Family Services, finished a song before she broke down into tears. Billie graciously finished his song, invited her to the front row, and delicately engaged Melissa in conversation. “Billie was compassionate and curious about how he could help brighten my day,” said Melissa. “He told me a bit about himself, his life, and his struggles. He asked questions about my work, my family, and the reason behind my tears.”

The time he took to connect with and listen to Melissa helped calm her so she could get through the rest of the day. The impact volunteers have on our patients and our staff can be so profound in many ways.

“Thank you so much for having Billie involved with our organization,” said Melissa. “I think our entire health system could benefit from his music and humor more often.”