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Waikato Hospital thanks its friends
Media information For immediate release
Date: 4 June 2009
Waikato Hospital thanks its friends
They are there to cheer you up when you are at your worst, a listening ear to keep you company and will sit and talk at all hours of the day.
They are your Friends of the Emergency Department (FEDs) and yesterday they celebrated five years service at Waikato Hospital.
Waikato Hospital currently has 66 St John FEDs, and 16 of these friends received awards yesterday for five years of service.
Since starting in April 2004, FEDs have gifted 40,448 hours of their time to Waikato Hospital's Emergency Department.
Operations manager Jenni Yeates said the department wouldn't cope without them.
"You do what nurses don't have time to do anymore," she said.
"The assistance and reassurance you provide to patients, making sure they are warm and comfortable and the support you provide to ED staff in so many ways is deeply appreciated."
Chief operating officer Jan Adams said the friends are a critical part of running the very busy, often hectic Emergency Department.
"You gift your time, you gift your talents, and we value and treasure that commitment. You are part of our family," she said.
Waikato Hospital currently has 176 volunteers in a range of different roles.
St John FEDs are the only volunteers who work round the clock, every day of the year.
There are currently 50 people on the waiting list to be a FED in the Midland region.
For more information about how volunteers contribute to the daily running of Waikato Hospital, visit Waikato DHB's website at www.waikatodhb.govt.nz.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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