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Volunteer

A Tradition of Volunteerism

Since 1955, volunteers have been a central part of what we do. Are you ready to help keep St. Tammany healthy?

Donations don’t just come in monetary form. We’re every bit as grateful for the generous donation of time made by our tireless army of volunteers, which primarily include members of the St. Tammany Hospital Guild, a welcome presence at the hospital since 1955.

From helping patients and visitors find their way around the hospital to offering clerical help to visiting with hospice patients and more, our volunteers are central to our community-based mission. They’re also an indispensable part of what we do every day, donating a total of 25,000 hours each year to 20 hospital departments.

Among the benefits our volunteers receive in exchange for their time are:

  • A sense of satisfaction from contributing to the community.
  • An opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.
  • A chance to learn new skills and maintain their current skills.
  • The gaining of knowledge about the community and the hospital.
  • For Guild members, there are also regular invitations to social and recognition events, a free meal for every four-hour hospital shift, and a subscription to our quarterly Guild newsletter.

“My experiences with volunteers are among my most fond memories, and the relationships I’ve developed with them have shown me what to aspire toward,” STHS Volunteer Coordinator Shirley Primes said. “Without a doubt, the volunteer experience at St. Tammany Health System has been extremely inspiring. I have gained life experiences that I will never forget. In the words of Sherry Anderson: ‘Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless but because they’re priceless!’”

We want you.

HOW TO APPLY: Applying to serve the community as a St. Tammany Health System volunteer couldn't be easier or more convenient. Just visit our "Careers" hub and search "volunteer" to access an electronic application form. You can also learn more about some of the available volunteering opportunities below.

STHS Patient-Family Advisory Council

How you can be a part of The St. Tammany Health System mission.

Are you passionate about improving care for future patients and their families at St. Tammany Health System? Our Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and Safety (PFACQS) plays a vital role in enhancing the patient experience. Composed of patients, family members, hospital leadership and physicians, the council focuses on identifying and replicating successful programs and practices that contribute to an improved patient and family experience and ensures a patient-centered approach to care.

PFACQS plays a crucial role in our community. However, it's important to note that participation in the council cannot be used to fulfill community service hours requirements. The focus of the council is on quality and safety, and its impact on the community is not just significant, but also reassuring and confidence-inspiring.

PFACQS membership includes a requirement to attend a minimum of four of the six meetings each year. Even if you are not chosen to sit on the PFACQS, you are still a crucial part of our team and may have the opportunity to serve on a subcommittee.

As a member of our council, you will:

  • Identify patient and family needs.
  • Foster dialogue between advisors and executives.
  • Generate innovative ideas to elevate the patient experience.

The STHS Patient-Family Advisory Council is a formal committee that meets at least quarterly to promote active collaboration between clinicians, hospital staff and patients/family members on policy and program decisions. The council discusses and plans changes to improve hospital quality and safety, as well as to improve educational or informational materials including forms, health information handouts and discharge instructions to ensure ease of use for patients and their families.

Patient and family advisors donate at least one and no more than four hours per month and should be able to:

  • Speak about both their positive and negative experiences and share suggestions for potential solutions and improvements.
  • Work with a broad range of people.
  • Respect the opinions of others.
  • Maintain a positive attitude in discussions.
  • Keep discussions confidential.

If you or a family member received care at STHS or any of its outpatient facilities within the last three years, you are eligible to participate. You do not need special qualifications to be an advisor. Orientation will be provided. Click here to apply. (Note: Use of Chrome or MS Edge browser is recommended.)

For more information about becoming an advisor at St. Tammany Health System and to find out how to apply, contact STHS Director of Patient Experience Blair Howell at 985-898-4669 or via email at bhowell@stph.org.

Patient and family advisors provide a voice that represents all patients and their families who receive care at St. Tammany Health System. They partner with hospital doctors, nurses and administrators to help improve the quality of our hospital’s care for all patients and family members.

We Are St. Tammany.

We’re not just a hospital. We’re your hospital.

Community: That’s a word that gets used a lot around St. Tammany Health System. That’s because it gets right to the heart of who we are.

We were founded in 1954 by a group of community activists to tend to the Northshore’s healthcare needs. Since then, we’ve made it our mission not only to comfort and heal our neighbors but to strengthen the community through preventative medicine and wellness initiatives. Indeed, as the oldest and most advanced medical institution headquartered in the region, we’ve become a vital part of the fabric of the Northshore community as a whole.

It’s a two-way relationship, though. As a self-sustaining nonprofit that accepts no taxpayer dollars, we’ve come to rely as much on your generous support as you have come to rely on us to deliver our well-established brand of world-class healthcare close to home.

That includes the tireless work of our many volunteers, including through the St. Tammany Hospital Guild, whose smiling, compassionate faces greet patients and visitors to our flagship hospital in Covington every day. It also includes the financial support of donors throughout the region, who sustain our healing work not only with general donations but with corporate partnerships, planned giving, tribute gifts, bequests and charitable gift annuities to the St. Tammany Hospital Foundation.

Below, find a wealth of information on how you can help us in our mission.

We accept your gifts humbly, we take them seriously and we commit to using them wisely to continue to strengthen our community.

Because we’re not just a hospital. We’re your hospital.

We are St. Tammany.