Volunteers at Groves Hospital are upset about coming changes to the program that they deliver to provide televisions to the patients there.
On the other hand, the Groves Volunteer Association is hastening to assure them that their contributions are valued by the hospital.
Elmer Shortt has volunteered at the hospital for 22 consecutive years. His job each Monday is to rent and hook up televisions for patients who want that service.
There are numerous other volunteers who do that service every other day of the week at Groves.
Shortt and several other volunteers came to the Advertiser to talk about changes coming to the TV provision program.
He said that a company is going to take over that program and provide cable TV, phone, and internet services to those that want it – leaving the volunteers without a job many of them have been doing for years.
Shortt said patients would pay using credit cards.
He said because the TV and internet connections would be turned on by the company off site, each patient’s station would require its own TV and internet service.
“The part I’m a little bit sad about is last year the TV rental group turned in to the hospital $23,000,” he said.
Shortt admitted some of the current televisions are getting old, and not every patient used them, “but, pretty near every one.”
Those TVs are “locked off,” he said, and volunteers connected them for patients. They also supplied headphones for them.
But the head of the volunteer association said their complaint is not entirely correct.
Carol Kirby left a phone message at the Advertiser over the weekend from her vacation and stated the amount of money turned in was not the full profit because the program has expenses, including paying for the TVs.
Manager of volunteer services at Groves, Pauline Rasmussen, said in an interview on Monday there has been no contract signed yet with any company.
She explained the current TV system is now a dozen years old, and some of the units are from the start of the program.
Rasmussen said because the TVs are so old, patients cannot receive high definition television stations even if they are offered by the local TV station, and that limits viewing to about 10 to 12 channels instead of the nearly 40 otherwise available.
She said the system the hospital is considering would allow patients to call the company, pay for the service over the phone, and be connected automatically.
“They flick a switch and the TV, internet and phone is connected automatically.”
Rasmussen added that the association values very much the services of the volunteers. She said it is possible that they could continue to work with patients, perhaps helping them with the phone service to the provider or providing headsets or teaching patients how to operate TV or internet.
She said of the association, “We do the work we do so patients have the best care.”
She explained in some cases patients have had to wait up to 48 hours to obtain a TV, and the board has decided with hospital officials “this is the best system and the patient receives the best care.”
Rasmussen noted volunteers provided 36,000 hours last year and the hospital does appreciate their efforts.
“We value everybody’s contribution,” she said.
