NCH and The American Red Cross Supporting Our Veterans

by Paul Hiltz, FACHE

Community and collaboration are always at the forefront at NCH. With this in mind, I am excited to announce that the NCH Healthcare System was recognized by The Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross with the Partnership Award. This award was given to our organization in recognition for supporting the expansion of the Veteran Visitation Program.

Through this exciting new program, volunteers visit Veterans admitted to the hospital to thank them for their service, advise them on the programs and resources available to them and provide a comforting word. Throughout the country, the Red Cross supports Veterans in VA and military hospitals, and this program models the services and care provided to them.

Our healthcare system and the Red Cross launched the Veteran Visitation Program in the Spring at the NCH North Naples and NCH Baker Hospitals to support local Veterans in our community.

This program was the first to launch in the Naples area and the second in the South Florida Region.

Utilizing dually trained volunteers, NCH, and the Red Crosskicked-off the program with virtual visits and have transitioned to in-person visits that began in July. All volunteers of the program will be both NCH and Red Cross volunteers and will go through a training and onboarding process for each organization.

The Veteran Visitation Program at NCH emphasizes the value of collaboration. Through this partnership we are expanding the reach in supporting Veterans in our community. The dedicated volunteers of the NCH Veteran Visitation Program provide Veterans with opportunities, resources, and better access to available services.

We are thrilled to partner with the Red Cross, which is dedicated to helping members of the military, Veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to, the challenges of military service. Every day, the Red Cross provides 24/7 global emergency communication services and support in military and Veteran health care facilities across the country and around the world.

We are honored and committed to serve our local Veterans who fought to protect our country. For more information, please emailAmanda.Smith@nchmd.org or call 239-624-3415.

Paul Hiltz is the President and CEO of the NCH Healthcare System, an alliance of 775 physicians and medical facilities in dozens of locations throughout Collier County and Southwest Florida that offers nationally recognized, quality health care to our community. For more information, visit www.NCHmd.org.