Updated: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - 9:12am
Jenna Davis
Jeanne Ackerley began volunteering at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa in August 2018. This photo taken as she volunteered in gift shop in January 2021.
Arizona’s largest private employer is looking for volunteers to help support front line workers.
You might not consider visiting a hospital gift shop a form of respite, but plenty of Banner Health employees do.
“They are exhausted and many of them are working 12-hour shifts or longer,” said Jeanne Ackerley, a volunteer at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa.
She said medical staff will often come into the gift shop to escape for a bit. As they browse through books, survey the stuffed animals and smell the flowers, Jeanne often provides an empathetic ear.