VOLUNTEERING OF THE LEAGUE OF FRIENDS OF COVA DA BEIRA HOSPITAL CENTRE

The Volunteers of the League of Friends of CHCBeira that support this institution on a daily basis, can affirm with confidence that they are committed to providing a generous service and work for the benefit of those - who suffer physically or morally - that need affection, a simple friendly word...
Solidarity is availability, generosity, respectful and committed fraternity that drives us to do good.
For the development of activities, the volunteer participates in an initial training and is encouraged to continue training, since we affirm that "volunteers as an option, professionals in action".

The initial training covers various areas: Being a volunteer in the health area, empathy and interpersonal relationships, management of emotions, ethics of the volunteer, control of hospital infections, confidentiality and privacy, among others.  Continuous training covers more specific areas that seek to improve the quality of the actions developed: gerontology; palliative care; verbal and non-verbal language; types of communication; emotional intelligence, among others. The rights, duties, standards, rules, code of conduct and assumptions used to assess the volunteers are set out in the Internal Regulations for Hospital Volunteering.

We rely on the indispensable support of about 100 volunteers at the Pêro da Covilhã Hospital and Fundão Hospital whose mission is to: develop activities and actions in conjunction with the Cova da Beira Hospital Centre, from the humanisation viewpoint, aimed at creating mechanisms that provide the well-being that is possible for the patient and his/her accompanying persons.

We invite you to join us because you are also unique and indispensable.
Contact us.

How was Volunteering at the Cova da Beira Hospital Centre established?

Hospital volunteering was created on February 2, 1998 and was integrated into the League of Friends of the Cova da Beira Hospital Centre in 2002.

What is a volunteer?

A Hospital Volunteer «(…) is a human person, fulfilled as a person (as much as possible), technically prepared, under constant recycling, integrated in a health team, within a health community, at the service of the human person in crisis which is the patient, for the sake of common good» (Pinto, 2000, p.13).

How do they perform their activity at the Cova da Beira Hospital Centre?

• Health Area:
  Provide psychic and psycho-emotional support to patients/users and their accompanying persons in the different areas (increase self-esteem and psychological well-being); provide patients and accompanying persons with cultural and leisure activities (Online hospitalisation project, development of games, readings, Library of the Patient, other), as well as the commemmoration of festive dates and seasons; ditribute small snacks for free to patients and accompanying persons in outpatient consultations, emergency care and outpatient care; inform, accompany and guide patients and accompanying persons in outpatient consultations; create a more friendly hospital space on special occasions; enhance the Canto da Cigarra, a space dedicated to children that accompany visitors of patients hospitalised at Pêro da Covilhã Hospital; promote community interaction projects, though the establishment of partnerships that promote humanisation; develop internal and group activities and actions for volunteering (initial, continued and specific training, meetings, social gatherings and others); partnership with the Portuguese League Against Cancer. Triumph Over and Live Movement of Covilhã.
• Social Area:
  "Offer Smiles" project: volunteering to support the institutionalised elderly; partnership with entities and associations that promote the support of vulnerable citizens; inform and disclose volunteer and community activities through the quarterly publication of the 'Smile' newspaper, 'Baby Cuddles' project - Baby clothing and equipment bank; collaboration on social initiatives with partnership entities.
• Other initiatives:
  In addition to the actions developed on a daily basis by all of the volunteers of the League of Friends, other activities are also promoted involving the entire group and the collaboration of other local community institutions and groups: Promotion of Youth Volunteering; partnership with regional printing companies for the weekly offer of Newspapers for patients; "SMILE" newspaper that promotes Volunteering and discloses its actvities (1st edition 2008), solidarity exhibits and campaigns; International Volunteer Day - December 5; promote volunteering promotion actions in society.

In our community it is a Member of the Network of the Local Council for Social Action of Covilhã - Social Network and Member of the Community Advisory Panels, at Serra Shopping, a working group with regional partners providing advice on the creation of synergies to improve the quality of life of the local population.

It should be noted that on 6/12/2011 it was awarded, by the Assembly of the Republic, the diploma of civic merit for the active exercise of sharing responsibility for the world.

Since June 13, 2013, it has had protocols with institutions such as:

• Quinta das Palmeiras Secondary School;
• Campos Melo Secondary School;
• Nuno Álvares Pereira Fraternity - Covilhã Centre;
• Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Belmonte;
• Social Centre of the Parish of Santo André - Boidobra;
• EPABI - Professional School of Arts of Covilhã;
• AJAS - Youth Association for the Solidarity Action of UBI.

Activities to promote volunteerism and specific solidarity and volunteering actions are developed with these entities. 

Contacts
Facebook: www.facebook.com/voluntariadochcbeira
E-mail: voluntariado@chcbeira.min-saude.pt
Phone: (+351) 275 330 066