Patient ambassador program brings human touch to health care

Say hello to human kindness.

St. Rose Dominican Hospitals rolled out a patient ambassador program in April at its Rose de Lima Campus, 102 E. Lake Mead Parkway. Administrators are looking to expand the program to the hospital’s additional campuses: Siena, 3001 St. Rose Parkway, and San Martin, 8280 W. Warm Springs Road.

The program allows volunteers to serve as advocates and “voices of compassion” for the hospitals’ patients and families, according to service excellence coordinator Danielle Roehm.

“It’s really just stepping into someone’s suffering and being there with them,” Roehm said. “Sometimes it’s just to hold their hand or pray with them. Sometimes it’s just being a familiar face in their time of need.”

From the emergency room to the intensive care unit, each ambassador visits with about 40 patients daily from 8 a.m. to noon in all hospital departments.

“As a team, we try to visit with every patient, every day,” said Domingo Floresta, patient ambassador team lead. “If we can change just one person’s life during that time, it’s a day well spent.”

The program was developed from a need to “bridge the gap” between the hospitals’ clinical support and healing interaction, Roehm said.

“Our clinical staff simply does not have enough time to sit down for two hours and talk about the patient’s family and experiences,” she said. “So, through this program, we’re able to bring compassion to a situation no one wants to be in.”

Volunteering more than 40 hours a week, Floresta, a Henderson resident, helped Roehm design the program. For his service, he received the 2014 AARP Nevada Andrus Award for Community Service, AARP’s most prestigious state volunteer award.

“I did not think that for a moment while developing the program that this (award) would ever come up,” Floresta said. “It was a gift from others, and it has humbled me. Now that we’ve started something, it’s time to finish it and let St. Rose be the guiding light for all other hospitals.”

Destined to return the favor, many of the ambassadors are past hospital patients.

“As a patient years ago, I remember the fear I had, and I remember those times where I was alone in the (intensive care unit),” Floresta said. “I come in here now, and the first place I visit is the ICU.”

Thanks to the program, Roehm said the hospital’s patient survey ratings have increased. One patient called the ambassadors “angels,” saying, “They not only attended to (his) emotional needs but also showed tremendous compassion towards (his) wife.”

“I’ve always wanted to build a legacy, and out of nowhere, the good Lord placed me here,” Floresta said. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Roehm is seeking ambassadors for the Siena and San Martin campuses. A background check for individuals 18 or older and lab work is required for all volunteers.

For more information or to volunteer, call Roehm at 702-616-7545.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.