Employee Engagement & Volunteerism
RWJBarnabas Health has 34,000 employees that serve as a tremendous asset and resource for the state. Leveraging that resource in service of community health and well-being is the aim of RWJBH employee volunteerism efforts. The RWJBarnabas Health Employee Engagement and Volunteerism Program galvanizes the system’s workforce to address key social determinants of health issues. The program provides RWJBH employees with opportunities to use their skills and interests to improve community health, well-being, and quality of life in our local communities. Future facets of the program envision integration of mission into RWJBH affiliated physician practices and joint ventures.
“The program provides RWJBH employees with opportunities to use their skills and interests to improve community health, well-being, and quality of life in our local communities.”
Ultimately, the SICI practice seeks to engage and develop a group of volunteers that deploy professional expertise and passion to community organizations that aligns strategically with our Social Impact practice pillars.
GOAL 1
Engage and develop a group of 500 – 1,500 volunteers that deploy
professional expertise and passion to community organizations that aligns
strategically with our SICI practice pillars, as evidenced by increased
RWJBH employees who volunteer at community-based organizations.
In an effort to create systemic change and engage the entire RWJBarnabas family in the SICI priority areas, the practice has worked closely with other departments and community-based organizations to create volunteer efforts that promote the goals of the system and create a healthier New Jersey.
- Establish a comprehensive skills-based volunteer program in 2019, as evidenced by the development of a Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Policy for exempt (salaried) employees.
- Gauge utilization and engagement rates with the goal of expanding to non-exempt (hourly) employees.
- Create education campaign for internal stakeholders on the importance of volunteerism.
- Create a culture of giving back that best aligns with our mission and helps us utilize volunteerism as a tool for personal health and wellness.
GOAL 2
Develop a global health volunteer program that enhances RWJBH global health
goals and equips a minimum of 20 volunteers with the expectations, scope
of the work, cultural orientation and technical knowledge of current projects,
as evidenced by number of clinical and non-clinical volunteers registered
with global health; change in attitudes/knowledge/behaviors regarding
service/motivation for volunteers; increased employee awareness about
critical CHNA-identified health and social determinants issues; and improved
relations with domestic and international partners to create healthy communities.
To ensure that the clinical volunteer opportunities help to enhance our larger global health goals, volunteers will be equipped with expectations, the scope of their work, cultural orientation and technical knowledge of our current projects. Once a volunteer is matched, Global Health staff will work closely and side-by-side to orient the volunteer and answer any questions. We will follow up regularly through the project to ensure our volunteers are engaging in a safe, rewarding, productive and exciting opportunity that aligns with our SICI mission and vision.
- Investigate the establishment of partnerships with international community-based organizations and NGOs for skills-based volunteer opportunities for clinicians.
- Develop policies and procedures expand liability coverage for volunteers providing medical care through volunteer services in New Jersey and internationally.
- Develop volunteer pre-deployment training with a focus on cultural and context competencies and long term recovery.
- Train global health volunteers for disaster relief deployment aligned with Global Health policy related to sanctioned missions.
