ARTICLE
The Hospital Volunteers of Venice, a 500-member nonprofit organization supporting Venice Regional Bayfront Health, named Bob Bartholomew president for 2018 during the group’s annual meeting in January. Additional officers include Treasurer Frank Collins, Vice President of Ancillary Services Ruth Quigg, Vice President of Patient Services Jon Zimpher, Vice President of Education Joan Schum, Vice President of Off Site Services Elizabeth Brooke, Parliamentarian Dick Fenstermaker, and Secretary Diana Miracle. “I first came to Venice Regional as a patient, and during my stay, I realized how important the volunteers are to the quality of experience that patients have,” said Bartholomew, a retired business executive who lives in Venice and is in his eighth year as a hospital volunteer. “It’s satisfying to offer a helping hand and compassion to patients and their families when they need it most.” The Hospital Volunteers of Venice is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that supports the mission of Venice Regional to provide compassionate, high-quality healthcare services. More than 500 volunteers participate, serving as greeters, receptionists, registrants, escorts, surgery transporters, Lifeline installers, gift shop and thrift store helpers, patient representatives and more. Since 1951, the organization has provided grants and donations exceeding $8 million to the Venice community. In 2017, the group’s fundraising supported the valet parking service and free newspapers for patients and families at Venice Regional, student medical scholarships, nursing scholarships at State College of Florida, indigent patient prescription assistance, Good Samaritan prescriptions and health clinic, the Loveland Center, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and Salvation Army. For information on serving with the Hospital Volunteers of Venice, call 941-483-7050. About Venice Regional Bayfront Health Venice Regional Bayfront Health is a 312-bed, acute care hospital providing a comprehensive array of health care services to the greater Venice area. Venice Regional, and its affiliated Gulf Coast Medical Group clinics, provide high quality health care that is accessible to residents and visitors across Central and South Sarasota County. The hospital’s services include cardiac, stroke, orthopedic, metabolic, open-heart and advanced surgery, wound care, women’s care and interventional radiology. Venice Regional is nationally recognized through awards, certifications and accreditations in multiple service areas, including Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers Gold Seal of Approval® by The Joint Commission for seven consecutive years; American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for both Stroke and Heart Failure; U.S. News & World Report 2016-2017 Best Hospital in Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement; Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence accreditation by Surgical Review Corporation and the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program; Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery Designation by Florida Blue; and Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. Venice Regional is one of only three in Florida among 52 hospitals with lowest readmission rates for patients treated for pneumonia, according to a report by Becker’s Hospital Review based on CMS Hospital Compare data. Additionally, Venice Regional had the lowest readmission rate in South Florida for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures with a Drug-Eluting Stent between 2013-2016, according to Dexur.