Susie Broome is a Hancock Health volunteer serving in the Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center. She has been volunteering with Hancock Health since September of 1993. This year she celebrates 30 years of service. She currently has 5,833 recorded hours of service! Impressive as this number is, Susie shared that this does not take into account her hours of volunteering with the Hancock Health Foundation prior to their tracking of hours; nor does it include the volunteering she did at the Gift Shop decades earlier in the 1970s.

Volunteering has long been a part of life for Ms. Broome. “My mother was a nurse, she recounts. I always admired her, so I always had a soft spot in my heart for the hospital, no matter where I was living. It was a logical place to volunteer.” 

While raising her three children (two of whom were born at Hancock Regional Hospital) redirected Ms. Broome’s efforts for a bit, volunteering for Hancock Health once again became her focus when her oldest was in high school. “I had more time. I said to myself, I remember the hospital. I think that would be a good place to spend my time and effort.”

And we couldn’t agree more! It absolutely was.

Susie has volunteered in just about every position during her three decade volunteer tenure at Hancock Health. “When you have 30 years in, you’ve volunteered everywhere,” she said. In addition to her current role at the Cancer Center she’s been stationed at the information desk, worked in registration as well as the emergency department. She served on the Hancock Health Foundation board of directors for 11 years – one of those as Chairman – as well as one term on the Hospital Guild board.  

She is hard-pressed to name a favorite position she’s held, but one role stands out. She recalls being asked by the then first full-time director of the Hancock Health Foundation, Myra Bleill, to work with the Women Helping Women initiative. Susie is exceptionally proud of the annual gala and recalls their first year. The first year, she says, there were perhaps 40 people in attendance and they raised roughly $500. “Now we will have 400+ at our gala; we will raise upwards of $120K to help fund basic health services for under/uninsured women in Hancock County. It’s really grown.” This year’s 25th anniversary gala will be held October 20, 2023. The funds raised are used to provide mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies, as well as education, navigation and support services.

Susie’s current volunteering in the Cancer Center has had a significant impact on her. She says this work, in particular, is “really important to me right now… They really need a lot of support. The staff is unbelievable! I can’t speak highly enough of the people up there.” 

When asked what advice she has for those looking to volunteer, she is at the ready and urges people to “look into volunteering at Hancock Health because they need volunteers.” Volunteer hours save the hospital money, she explains, while going on to note how thoroughly volunteers are trained. This is important, she continues, so that people feel confident in the role they are taking on. Additionally she says, it’s “extremely rewarding to help people navigate the hospital especially when it might be in difficult times for them.” 

When asked what she loves about volunteering for Hancock Health, she says “What Hancock Health does for me is give me good feelings about my volunteerism; [it] makes me feel good about how I help people. Normally, I don’t talk about what it does for me, I talk about what I do for them.” Hancock, she emphasizes, does an incredible job of making sure its volunteers feel appreciated and taken care of. She recalls small things like free drink passes or movie tickets, as well as larger appreciation events. While certainly not the point of volunteering, Susie notes that everyone likes to be appreciated and Hancock Health does this exceptionally well.

While she is on the board of several community organizations she notes, “The time I give to Hancock Health is the most personal to me because I am helping individuals receive the care and consideration they need! It doesn’t seem like 30 years. I have certainly enjoyed the people I’ve worked with. The other volunteers are really special people. I treasure those friendships.” Susie, in return, is treasured by so many within the Hancock Health community. We are stronger with our volunteers and so grateful for her and all of our volunteers’ service.

Curious how to get involved as a volunteer? There are a variety of ways. Learn more on our Volunteer Services page.