Letter from East Tennessee Executive Director, Sharon Hudson - Sept. 2019

Thank You to Our Volunteer Healthcare Professionals

This month we recognize and celebrate the achievements of American Red Cross health care professionals. Nationwide, more than 20,000 volunteer healthcare professionals generously give of their time and talent to help those in need by responding to more than 62,000 disaster calls each year.

Here in East Tennessee, our volunteers include clinicians, individuals with master's degrees in nursing and public health and education, advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and a range of other related fields. They provide relief for disaster victims, develop and conduct health and safety classes, and render support to members of the Armed Forces.  “Our health care professionals are priceless,” said East Tennessee Disaster Program Manager Kristin Manuel. “They are a lifeline for clients and our Disaster Action Teams can’t provide basic medical services without them “.

First-Aid Station coordinator and disaster volunteer James Pesterfield holds an advanced EMT certification and cites helping others as his motivation to volunteer. “No two clients are the same. I rely on my training and skills to figure out how to treat each one,” Pesterfield said. Teaching life-saving skills is the passion of Mary Franklin, volunteer instructor, trainer and educator with Training Services. “The intrinsic rewards, sharing knowledge and skills with others are really fun sharing, because every class is different,” said Franklin.

Thanks to Franklin and instructors like her, Red Cross Training Services is responsible for providing health and safety training to the public. In 2017, the Red Cross trained 2.28 million people on how to save lives through First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or automated external defibrillator (AED) courses, water safety and caregiving and preparedness programs. Illustrating the volunteer spirit, the East Tennessee region grew by 50% in the number of professional health care volunteers from 28 to 47.  Through their commitment to serving others, East Tennessee health care professionals exemplify the tradition of preventing and alleviating human suffering and the power of volunteers.