July 8, 2018
Story submitted by Amanda Fry
Red Cross volunteer nurses bring hope and healthcare to evacuees. Photo courtesy of Red Cross
When Red Cross nurse volunteers Marian Heesaker and Ed Duball first arrived at the Red Cross Shelter in Basalt, Colorado, it was their first experience serving as volunteers for the organization. The shelter was established by the Red Cross to provide support for residents affected by the Lake Christine Fire. Heesaker and Duball were led by veteran Red Cross nurse volunteer Elizabeth Ritchie. Together, the three volunteers provided for the immediate healthcare needs and overall well being of shelter clients.
“I love caring for people,” Heesaker, a semi-retired nurse, said. “I want to stay active, so for me, it is almost like a return to nursing.”
Duball is a practicing operating room nurse from Colorado, and said that serving at a shelter gives him the chance to approach nursing from a new perspective. “It is something new, something different,” he said. “And you get the chance to meet wonderful people.”
Ritchie said that volunteering with the Red Cross is an important opportunity for nurses to make a differences in their communities. “What I like is that we can deploy to disasters and make a real difference in peoples’ lives,” she said. “We can help them feel better about themselves, decrease their anxiety, and help them through this difficult time in their lives.”
Red Cross nurse volunteers serve in many capacities at a Red Cross shelter. While their first priority is to provide immediate health care to evacuees and visitors, they also help ensure that the dormitories, kitchens, and other areas are sanitary and safe for evacuees.
While this was the first volunteer experience for Heesaker and Duball, both said that they plan on continuing volunteer work through the Red Cross, and encourage other nurses to consider doing the same. “So many times nurses think of their profession as being in the hospital and at the bedside,” Heesaker said. Red Cross volunteering helps provide a broader scope to nursing. “I felt like the Red Cross gave me an opportunity to work with my colleagues in a capacity that has been very meaningful for me.”
To learn more about the Red Cross and volunteering, go to www.redcross.org/volunteer