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.
One of our long-term visitors passed away recently-Michael Silverstein.
Mended Hearts Visitor Program
St Peter Hospital Training for Volunteers