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life and health
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Ask Halifax Regional Health System (HRHS)
volunteers why they do what they do. You’ll
likely hear them say it makes them feel
good. And it’s a documented fact.
A study published by the Corpora-
tion for National and Community Service
looked at a review of research on the
health benefits of volunteering and dis-
covered some interesting facts. In addition
to the social benefits of volunteering—
pride, satisfaction and friendship, to name
a few—there are tangible health benefits
as well.
Key findings
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Older volunteers (age 60 and up) are
more likely to receive greater benefits from
volunteering.
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Volunteers must reach a threshold to
receive significant health benefit (40 to
100 hours of volunteering a year).
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Volunteering leads to greater life satisfac-
tion and lower rates of depression.
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Volunteering and physical well-being are
part of a positive reinforcing cycle.
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Evidence suggests that one of the best
ways to prevent poor health in the future is
to volunteer.
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Individuals who volunteer live longer.
“Our volunteers will tell you that when
they volunteer not only do they give, they
also receive,” says Amy Parikh, HRHS Volun-
teer Coordinator. “The fact that it has health
benefits as well is just one more reason to
volunteer.”
The full report,
The Health Benefits of
Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research,
Volunteer—it’s good for your health
HRHS celebrates National Volunteer Week, April 15-21
can be found at
www.nationalservice.gov
.
To learn more about the volunteer pro-
gram at Halifax Regional visit
www.hrhs.org
.
Our team.
The HeO Project team consists of staff working together to design Halifax Electronic Orders
to meet the needs of Halifax Regional providers, staff and patients.
Helping hands:
Volunteers
(from left) JudithWinstead, Lillian
Haymes, and Juanita Cross work
as Cookie Cutters and in at least
one other volunteer area. All three
have been volunteers for at least
five years.
Physicians and staff of Halifax Regional
Hospital (HRH) are putting the final touches
on planning for electronic patient medi-
cal records as they prepare a late-summer
launch of HeO—Halifax Electronic Orders.
What is it?
HeO is a program that allows physicians
to place orders for tests, medications, thera-
pies and other procedures directly into the
electronic patient record.
Why is it important?
At HRH, improved patient safety and
outcomes are at the forefront of every tech-
nological advancement. HeO supports the
delivery of safe and efficient patient care
by making sure that timely and accurate
patient information is available to all
caregivers.
Among its advantages HeO:
Improves order accuracy
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Provides real-time access to clinical infor-
mation, both on-site and off
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Avoids duplicate orders
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Reduces interpretation errors associated
with handwriting
Improves quality
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Alerts providers to patient allergies
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Alerts to drug-drug and dose-range
problems
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Improves operational efficiency
Halifax Electronic Orders prepares for late-summer launch
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Shortens the time from order placement
to order fulfillment
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Reduces the time spent by clinicians
clarifying orders and looking for charts
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Improves patient safety
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Reduces medication safety events
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Reduces adverse drug events
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Reduces clinical variation
Meets ARRA requirements (American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)
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Hospitals may earn millions in Medicare
and Medicaid payment incentives when
they demonstrate meaningful use of an
electronic medical record—or face even
larger penalties for noncompliance begin-
ning in 2015.