A Helping Hands volunteer rocks an infant in the UAB NICU.UAB Hospital has more than 500 volunteers, with another 100 or so high school students joining in the summer, says Volunteer Services Coordinator Jodie Herrin. That is a large number, and a remarkable turnaround since the volunteer program essentially halted for a few years during the pandemic.
The flip side, Herrin said, is “we have a huge need.” Over the past several years, “I have seen a rise in employees wanting to volunteer,” she noted. “And UAB employees are a dream to work with, because they have knowledge of the institution and how it operates that makes them excellent volunteers.”
Herrin prepares volunteers for work and helps direct them to where they best fit in. There are volunteer opportunities across UAB Hospital, most of which can fit around a UAB employee’s regular work schedule. “We are open 24/7/365, so we always have needs,” Herrin said. “That’s the beauty of volunteering in medicine; we are always here, and we always have patients.”
Help needed
Three particular areas that regularly need fresh volunteers are Helping Hands, the Hospital Elder Life Program at UAB Hospital-Highlands and the Golf Cart Team, Herrin says.
Helping Hands: Helping Hands volunteers work with infants in UAB’s Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit and Continuing Care Nursery, providing the physical nurturing and verbal communication that is essential to babies’ development when their families cannot visit or just need a moment of respite. Volunteers hold, rock, talk, sing and read to the infants.
Hospital Elder Life Program: The Hospital Elder Life Program, or HELP, trains volunteers to help prevent cognitive and functional decline in hospitalized adults. HELP volunteers spend about 20 minutes with each patient, providing medical and social support services that promote clearer thinking and better function.
Golf Cart Team: The Golf Cart Team helps patients travel from entry points such as the parking decks to their appointment locations. “UAB is a big place,” Herrin said. “If you have heart failure and you are trying to get from the parking deck to your clinic, it might take you a long time to go two blocks. The Golf Cart Team is there to sweep up those patients and guests and quickly get them to their appointment or other destination. Our golf carts help patients and guests get to where they need to go at all hours of the day.”
Several UAB clinics are open on the weekends as well, Herrin says, including the Infusion Clinic and Kirklin Clinic labs. “There is a real need to help patients navigate to their appointments and help them get from place to place.”
Other areas include pet therapy teams and the Angel Squad in UAB’s Breast Health Clinic, along with “many, many more areas in inpatient nursing units, ambulatory clinics and administrative offices that accept volunteers as well,” Herrin added.
Interested? Start here
Adult volunteers agree to commit to six months of service for four hours per week. “The great news for our employees who wish to volunteer is that most of their health requirements are often already met as a condition of their employment, making their volunteer onboarding quick and easy,” Herrin said.
Learn more about volunteering at uabmedicine.org/volunteer-services. If you would like to volunteer or have questions, email
Looking for volunteers?
Department leaders interested in working with volunteers can email Volunteer Services Coordinator Jodie Herrin at