Budget cuts sever student volunteering at John Muir Medical Center
By Avila Payne, Cruz Tamayo, and Willow Ward, Sports Beat Editor and Online Editor and Staff Writers
High School is a time for students to begin their search for what they are interested in pursuing beyond school. The John Muir health program provided students the ability to engage in a hospital setting and immerse themselves in the world of medicine. Recently, the volunteer program has been suspended. Budget cuts required them to lay off many staff members and suspend the program.
Some students who are part of the Acalanes community were involved in the volunteer program. The program served to introduce high schoolers to the medical field.
“It was a program designed to teach young people the inner workings of hospitals, and to help them learn from professionals about professions.” College and Career Center Director Debbie Levy said.
Volunteers engaged in various tasks and assignments around the hospital. Yet, work differed for each volunteer. From shift supervisors to newer volunteers, responsibilities were spread out to ensure an efficient flow of work.
“I [would do] discharges, lab runs, and restock different floors,” Student Supervisor and senior Sam Griscavage said. “We helped with [the Mother Baby Unit] a lot, taking down charts and passing food out.”
In addition to assisting around the hospital, participants have enjoyed the bonds and communities built among volunteers.
“I really like the community, all the new people that I’ve met in my same shift,” Student Volunteer and junior Audrey Tseng said. “I got to see a lot of the different medical fields in general and an idea of what they do there.”
However, budget cuts have affected the program’s status after John Muir laid off 75 employees, one being the Student Volunteer Program Manager, Stacy Appel. Because of this, shift lengths were originally shortened from three hours to two, and then eventually fully suspended for further improvement and conversation on how to reconstruct the program to function with the manpower available.
“The program got suspended because budget cuts forced the person in charge of the program, Stacy, to be let go,” Griscavage said. “Now the people who run the volunteer program said they don’t have enough manpower to do all the paperwork that's required for us to keep going, so they’re suspending the program until they can figure out how to get that done.”
Despite the suspension, many students are grateful for the program and the opportunities to be involved in how the hospital functions.
“I liked [volunteering at John Muir]. I was able to interact with nurses and different medical professionals,” Student Supervisor and senior Anabella Huang said. “I was able to learn from them and learn from their experience ... It helped me gain exposure to what it’s like to actually be in the medical field so that we know if we’re actually interested. It makes me really sad to see it leave, because it was such a cool thing and I got to meet so many new people through it.”
Participants recall the amount of time and dedication they have put into the program, which created a sentimental value for volunteers and upset over the program's absence. The suspension of the program has also resulted in a change in students’schedules.
“It kind of changes the way I’m spending my time, and it was definitely a bummer when it got suspended because it’s something I enjoy doing and I’ve dedicated a lot of time doing it,” Griscavage said. “I know the hospital's going to feel the impact.”
Accessible programs like these allow students to explore diverse interests and gain hands-on experience in different career paths.
“Students learned consistency in volunteering and giving back to an organization,” Levy said. “I think it’s a loss for the community to not have John Muir as a program. Having hands-on opportunities to see the behind-the-scenes of how the medical field works is important.”
Despite its suspension, the program still served as an exploration and long-term dedication to a professional field.
“I think it’s important because right now we’re trying to explore different career paths and getting to do hands-on work,” Tseng said. “Being around a hospital environment is really helpful to decide what you want to do in the future.”
The program hopes to resume in the future, and despite the loss of the John Muir program, students can still engage in related programs around Lafayette.
“We have a lot of other opportunities for students to get involved in the medical community,” Levy said. “They can work at the sheriff’s Search and Rescue, for hospice; all the hospices in the area are looking for students to join... Kaiser also has volunteers. Just getting into a real hospital space has been a bit of a challenge, so this was a loss for the community.”
