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Volunteer Flower Delivery

  • Wednesday, December 31, 2008 3:21 PM
    Message # 79858
    Greetings everyone and Happy New Year!  I would love to hear from any of you who have experienced a similar situation to the following, and would like to know how you have addressed it.  We have noticed a big downturn in the number of flower deliveries being made by our volunteers, particularly over the last year or two.  We currently have a central receiving area where florists bring flowers for patients & employees.  Volunteers accept the flowers and then deliver them.  It has gotten to the point where it's a waste of time some days for the volunteers to come in.  I've proposed combining the flower delivery service with the patient mail delivery service, which has also slacked off in recent years, but the volunteers weren't too excited about that idea.  Please share any creative ideas for continuing this service to our patients, while making sure our volunteers' time is being well spent.  Thank you!
  • Friday, January 02, 2009 10:31 AM
    Reply # 80114 on 79858
    Anonymous

    I would suggest training those volunteers to do several other things.  Our flowers come in to the information desk so I try to teach the ladies to help at the desk with directions or even escorting visitors to hard to find areas.  Those who don't want to learn the desk do projects or mailouts in the volunteer office.  I even have some that cut off arm bands for the blood bank and that takes about an hour of their time.  I guess it all depends on what the volunteer is willing to do.  Good luck!

  • Monday, January 05, 2009 10:23 AM
    Reply # 80794 on 79858
    Deleted user
    I too found that my flower volunteers did not want to deliver patient mail.  I have my volunteers at the information desk as well so they do help with directions and escorting.
  • Monday, January 05, 2009 10:31 AM
    Reply # 80795 on 79858
    Jan Verbeck wrote:Greetings everyone and Happy New Year!  I would love to hear from any of you who have experienced a similar situation to the following, and would like to know how you have addressed it.  We have noticed a big downturn in the number of flower deliveries being made by our volunteers, particularly over the last year or two.  We currently have a central receiving area where florists bring flowers for patients & employees.  Volunteers accept the flowers and then deliver them.  It has gotten to the point where it's a waste of time some days for the volunteers to come in.  I've proposed combining the flower delivery service with the patient mail delivery service, which has also slacked off in recent years, but the volunteers weren't too excited about that idea.  Please share any creative ideas for continuing this service to our patients, while making sure our volunteers' time is being well spent.  Thank you!

    Our volunteers do this activity from the information desk.  At the desk this is simply one more of their duties.  They answer incoming calls for patient room numbers, escort vistors as they enter the lobby, deliver mail and flowers.  They are also called by the floors for different task.  Believe me they keep busy.  We normally staff 4-5 people per shift.
  • Wednesday, January 21, 2009 1:41 PM
    Reply # 86256 on 79858
    Anonymous
    Flower delivery is a part of our Transport team's work. Other duties include discharging patients, moving them within the hospital, delivering supplies to units, taking equipment to Decontam, delivering medical records, etc. The information desk receiving the flowers calls the Transport desk as for any other errand.
  • Friday, June 14, 2019 10:24 AM
    Reply # 7579496 on 79858
    Carol Biagini (Administrator)

    Has anyone negotiated with their local florists for them to donate their "delivery fee"  to the hospital auxiliary/guild/society or foundation or perhaps contribute a portion of what they charge their customers since the florist does not have to take the time to go to  a patient room? 

  • Monday, July 29, 2019 8:12 AM
    Reply # 7801100 on 79858

    Since there has been such a significant drop in the number of floral deliveries, as my flower delivery volunteers have "aged out", I have not refilled those positions. Rather, I added making any necessary deliveries to "other duties" for volunteers in various placements in the hospital. And external florists do their own deliveries.  

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