BY MARY ELLE HUNTER

Special to The Pilot

Forty-five teens are among the volunteers this summer who are carrying on a tradition of caring at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

The hospital, serving as the referral center for a 15-county region, is the flagship for FirstHealth of the Carolinas, the region's comprehensive health-care network.

Opening on Thanksgiving Day in 1929 with just 33 beds, five bassinets and a staff of 27, Moore Regional Hospital has grown to become the present 372-bed acute care facility. Now with an active medical staff of 228 physicians, a professional staff of more than 2,700, and an average of 750 volunteers, the hospital offers a full range of health care services to people within a multi-county service area.

Volunteering at the hospital began when 23 women took on the task of mending the hospital's linens, and from that small beginning the Women's Auxiliary was established in 1930 to share the talents, time and energy of its members to supplement the professional hospital staff.

In 1952 volunteers were officially organized to perform services on a regular basis. From a beginning group of 72, their numbers grew rapidly in the first six years and have steadily increased to the present number.

Their ranks are increased each summer with a teen volunteer program under the dual leadership of Cindy Strother, director of guest services, and Jean Clark, manager of volunteer services. Assisting with the administration of the teen volunteer program for the second time is Samantha Oldham, an intern, who will enter her junior year at Mars Hill College, near Asheville, in the fall. A business major, she is considering a career in health administration.

A large number of teen volunteers choose health-related careers, Clark points out, and remembers one local young woman, whose career started as a teen volunteer, progressed through college and medical school to become a doctor, and is presently on staff at Duke University Hospital.

In addition, there are many others that Jean Clark and Cindy Strother have come across during their daily routine who have returned to Moore Regional Hospital in positions in the pharmacy, in radiation oncology, in imaging and on the nursing staff.

A first-year teen volunteer, who plans to pursue a medical career as an orthopedist or an anesthesiologist, is Daniel O'Dowd. A resident of Holly Springs, he is a rising senior at Cardinal Gibbons High School, who plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill upon graduation. He was drawn to Moore Regional Hospital's teen volunteer program, where he has used his communications skills in patient contacts, and his organizational skills in the completion of clerical tasks.

Clark explains that the teen volunteers are working in 30 different areas this year. Normally the students are given two assignments each day in different departments, such as the gastrointestinal laboratory, where O'Dowd, in addition to helping out with filing of reports and other materials, also had the opportunity to observe a procedure.

"It has been a learning experience for me, and I have gained a lot of respect for all the staff members with whom I have worked," he says.

The teen volunteers, who usually have a schedule of one day a week for seven to eight hours, work from the time that school breaks for the summer for nine weeks. West End resident Liza Myrick, a junior at Pinecrest High School in the fall, chose to sign up for volunteering at the hospital because she thought she wanted to have a health-related career, but she didn't really know what career path to follow.

Now, she is leaning toward becoming a nurse.

"I have a better understanding of the duties performed by the nurses," Myrick says.

As part of her duties as a volunteer, she goes into the operating rooms and restocks some of the materials used, such as syringes. She has also assisted in transporting patients, always following the example of staff members as they treat patients with kindness and caring.

Samantha Oldham, the college intern working with this year's group of volunteers, notes that volunteering often becomes a family affair.

"For instance, this summer we have a pair of brothers, a pair of sisters, a brother and sister duo, and then we have a couple of pairs of cousins," she says.

Hailie Myrick, of Pinebluff, a rising junior at Pinecrest High School, has an ambition to become a nurse, inspired by the sister of a close friend. She plans to attend Sandhills Community College and will enroll in their nursing program upon graduation. In her first summer as a volunteer, she has used very basic skills in the performance of her duties and looks forward to more challenging tasks as she prepares for a nursing career.

She says that one thing she has learned is to always listen very carefully when being given instructions.

"Make sure you know exactly what you are to do before starting a job," she says.

Krystal Lowery, a rising junior at Hoke County High School, is a second-year participant in the program. This Red Springs resident aims to become a nurse practitioner in pediatrics. Consequently, she is pleased to be serving in the Child Development Center this summer. Using her social skills as she gets more familiar with working with children, Lowery has found her creativity has been of help as she reads stories to her young charges or gets them to participate in games and simple crafts.

Larissa Crawford, of Lakeview, is a four-year veteran of the teen volunteer program and a rising senior at Union Pines High School. Her volunteer service has been in a variety of areas, like sterile processing, supply distribution, transportation, anesthesia and in-patient oncology. She has worked on patient accounts, using her computer skills, and become thoroughly familiar with each floor of the hospital for transportation duties, besides learning about all the miscellaneous items that the hospital uses in the course of a day.

She says that one of the best pieces of advice she received was that it is a good idea to choose your career early, rather than waiting until after you graduate from high school. In her case, she wants to become a labor and delivery nurse.

"The experience of volunteering has helped me to become a better person," Crawford says. "It has enabled me to relate to patients and ease their concerns and worries with a kind word and a smile."

These bright young people, representing all the members of the teen volunteer program at Moore Regional Hospital, will have the satisfaction at summer's end of furthering their chosen careers, and at the same time bringing a measure of cheerfulness to those in need.

Mary Elle Hunter is a Pinehurst freelance writer. Contact her at mhunter104@yahoo.com.