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Concierge Smooths Patients’ ED Experience
By Susan Kreimer
VALLEY STREAM — At the end of Arlene Veltri’s fourhour
shift, the staff is sad to see her leave.
“When I say I have to go home now, they say,
‘No, not now.’ It’s a very helpful job,” the 81-yearold
volunteer said. The time goes by fast. “I’m busy,
but that’s a good thing.”
Ms. Veltri, a retired special education aide,
volunteers in Franklin Hospital’s Emergency Department
Concierge Program, launched in the spring of
2009. She greets patients and directs them where
to sign in.
Concierge volunteers also bring wheelchairs to
patients, help them on and off with their coats, call a
taxi afterward and give some TLC, said Myra Cohen,
director of volunteer services at Franklin Hospital.
“The concierges speak with patients and provide
needed company,” Ms. Cohen said. “They help
take the anxiety out of the emergency room visit.”
in the program at CCMC. Most visit patients
twice a month with their owners, who are
volunteers. The participants are a black
Labrador retriever, yellow Lab, Maltese,
Papillon, golden retriever and greyhound.
All of them were certified by a therapy dog
organization before consideration for the
hospital. Certified dogs also participate in
onsite behavioral screening.
“They must go through a series of
tests to see how they would react in the
hospital environment,” said Ms. Tully,
who evaluates each candidate. She has also
placed volunteers with pet therapy dogs at
The Zucker Hillside Hospital. LIJ Medical
Center offers pet therapy too.
“We test to see how they react to
walkers, wheelchairs, crutches and IV
poles,” she said. “We test to see how they
would react to loud noises and strange
behavior. We also test to see how they
engage with our pediatric patients.”
If a dog passes the behavioral
screening, Ms. Tully asks to review its
veterinary records. The handler must be a
volunteer at the health system.
“It is quite a commitment, and it takes
Sometimes a patient who comes in later is
treated before another who arrived earlier. “If
anybody feels somebody went ahead,” Ms. Veltri
explains, “you can assure them that the person is
quite ill and has to be seen.”
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, her volunteering
helps reduce waiting times, and to patients,
the process appears to proceed more quickly, even
when it seems slow.
“We try to appease them in whatever way that
we can,” she said of the concierges’ duties. “Some
patients are friendly and want to talk. And if they
don’t, you don’t intrude on them at all.”
Ms. Veltri escorts patients to the fast-track
area if they have a minor ailment, such as a sore
throat, and are likely to go home. If they have
an illness or injury that may require hospitalization,
she takes them to a different section of the
a very dedicated handler to get through the
whole process,” she said. “We only accept
the best-trained dogs into our program.”
Ms. Wong has volunteered with her
dogs at North Shore University Hospital
since June 2006. All of them are Great
Pyrenees with champion status.
“I bring at least two at a time,” said
Ms. Wong, who has accumulated more
than 500 volunteer hours. She takes as
many as six or eight to the Stroke Club,
with the help of her youngest child of
three, 15-year-old Michelle, who also has
pet therapy licenses for each dog. Together
they comfort and cheer up stroke survivors
and their caretakers.
In addition, her pooches interact with
patients on various floors of the hospital,
including the Child Life Program and the
Palliative Care Unit. They also visit the Stern
Family Center for Rehabilitation. Wherever
the dogs go, they wear custom-made outfits.
Ms. Wong is one of eight volunteers
who bring their dogs to North Shore
University Hospital for pet therapy, said Lisa
Breiman, director of volunteer services. “I
see first-hand what a tremendous positive
Emergency Department. This relieves the nurse of
that responsibility and speeds up registration for
other patients.
“Arlene is a friendly, outgoing woman who is
wonderfully helpful to patients, visitors and staff,”
Ms. Cohen says. “She is perfect for this program.”
A resident of Lawrence, Ms. Veltri began
volunteering at Franklin Hospital in May 2009. She
started in the Medical Records Department, assisting
with filing and other requests. After taking some
time off due to health issues, Ms. Veltri became a
concierge in last spring.
Franklin Hospital staff members, including
the nurses, registrars and security guards, are
delightful, she said. “They make you feel that you’re
wanted and that you’re useful.”
impact pet therapy has on our patients, their
family members and also our staff, who look
forward to their visits,” Ms. Breiman says.
Aside from volunteering, Ms. Wong
works five overnight shifts per week as a
technician’s and doctor’s assistant, as well
as a receptionist, at Central Veterinary
Associates’ 24-hour emergency hospital in
Valley Stream. Henry Wong, her husband
of 26 years, is a pharmacist at North Shore
University Hospital.
Ms. Wong, who lives in Woodmere and
also has two cats, lectures about pet therapy
at various schools and colleges. Instead of
accepting compensation, she encourages
her listeners to donate to North Shore
University Hospital.
“This is a passion,” she said, adding
that it takes two hours to groom each dog
the day prior to pet therapy visits, which
she does one to three times per week. “It’s
not something that I get paid for. But the
reward is so much more than money.”
Opposite: Ms. Wong with Delilah, left, and Orion.
Custom outfits for her therapy dogs add even more
cheer to patient visits.
The New Standard 43