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Diane Caputo…”It is very rewarding being a volunteer visitor for Mended Hearts. Volunteers get to come alongside patients who have been through a heart event which interrupted their daily routine. Many are apprehensive about how to move forward and what their future holds. We get to share first hand, as someone who has been in their shoes, that there is good life after a heart event.“
Mended Hearts volunteer visitors are the personal link between the Mended Hearts and the cardiac patient. Volunteer Visitors are accredited, and they go through hospital training as if they are becoming a full fledge employee. They also go through training with Mended Hearts ensuring they represent the values and standards of both the hospital and the Mended Hearts organization. Volunteers comply with all hospital protocols including HIPAA.
The purpose of Mended Hearts visitors is to offer cardiac patients and their loved ones a chance to speak with one who has survived and flourished after having gone through a similar difficult situation. They are not medical professionals but they have been through the recovery and understand both its physical and emotional process. They offer encouragement and hope to alleviate fears and anxieties. They want the patient to know they are not alone.
Mended Hearts volunteers have been visiting at Providence Saint Peter Hospital since the early 1990s. Our original volunteer was visiting patients before there was an established chapter. The visitor team is always willing to make or receive phone call visits. We have reestablished our in-person visiting at St Peter Hospital.
To participate in Mended Hearts online Visitor Training. Go to Mended Hearts .
If you have not joined the Mended Hearts as a member on the website then join and complete your online account. Once you join then click the login and open up the website to additional information for members. You will find a link in the left menu to “Visitor Training”.
If anyone desires to become a Mended Hearts Visitor, the first step is to contact Diane Caputo (360-705-1271), our local Visitor Coordinator. She will be happy to guide you through the training process.
Cardiac Rehab Speakers
Visitor Teams
“It’s great to be alive and help others.“
Mended Hearts Visitor Statistics
2024 Visitor Summary
Visitor Training Process
Month 1
• Visitor Trainee Candidate initiate contact with Chapter Visitor Training Coordinator (Diane Caputo)
• Visitor Trainee Candidate review local Website (https://Mendedheartsthurstoncounty.org) and National Website Mended Hearts Inc Chapter (https://mendedhearts.org) Newsletters on the website
• Sign up for Membership (https://mendedhearts.org/join-us-today/) either free (associate) or paid membership ( must be member to become Visitor)
• Sign up for online membership access to our Chapter information on National Website (an email will be sent from MHI inviting you to sign up for membership online). After signing up members can access the MHI Portal. The link to https://mendedhearts.org/portal-login/ will allow you to go to Visitor Training at Virtual Visiting/Reaccreditation
• If new to Hospital Volunteering-Start requirements/training at the Hospital (Contact Merrit Reed
Senior Manager, Volunteer Services Providence Swedish South Puget Sound St. Peter Hospital | Centralia Hospital- merrit.reed@providence.org)
• Attend first Chapter Member Meeting
• Meet briefly with Chapter President to discuss volunteering after first Member Meeting.
Month 2
• Attend Hospital and Mended Hearts Trainings
• Attend second Chapter Member Meeting
• Meet with Chapter Health Officer after Member Meeting to discuss potential medical issues/questions with heart disease
Month 3
• Meet with Chapter Visitor Training Coordinator to set up shadowing ( joining Peter Hospital Visiting Team) (will last for one to two months)
• Attend Third Chapter Member Meeting
Month 4 or 5
• Chapter Visitor Training Coordinator will set up a team/assignment for new trained Hospital Visitor