BCH Volunteer Services partnership with the University of Colorado at Boulder

Boulder Community Health’s (BCH) partnership with the University of Colorado is in its third year and continues to grow. BCH works closely with The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and the Colorado University Emergency Medical Students (CUEMS) to place students in relevant and rewarding volunteer assignments including the Medical/ Surgical Unit, Oncology, the Emergency Department, and Surgical Services.

“Our partnership with the University of Colorado has allowed us to increase the number of volunteers at BCH by 30%. The CU students are energetic, engaged, and eager to learn and help improve the hospital," said Tom Dueber, BCH Volunteer Services Manager. "They do some of the necessary, but maybe less skilled tasks up to and including rounding on patients which allows our care-team members to focus on their jobs and improve the overall experience for visitors and patients.”

This year, BCH volunteer services developed a new onboarding system that better aligns with the CU Semester calendar to better meet the student’s needs and increase retention and length of volunteering. Our latest class has 30 volunteers serving in 11 areas of Foothills Hospital and our ambulatory clinics. This class brings our total number of students actively volunteering system-wide to 107 in 18 different areas. In addition to those presently serving, the BCH Volunteer Services team is extremely proud of the 10 student volunteers who have been hired as paid staff at Boulder Community Health.

CU Student, Abby volunteers in the NICU and her support ensures all newborns get their hearing tests before they head home with their families. Abby began volunteering after a presentation was made at her American Medical Student Association club meeting. As a pre-medical student, she was immediately interested in getting involved. Abby has enjoyed her volunteer experience so much at BCH, that she is now working as a part-time Medical Assistant at Associated Neurologists.

"Volunteering is extremely fulfilling and has become a big part of my life," said Abby Inman, BCH volunteer. "The community here at BCH is something I am extremely proud to be part of and I am looking forward to continuing my volunteer and work experience at BCH!”

Established in 1978, the BCH Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Foundation exists to inspire giving in support of BCH to enhance the quality and availability of health care in our community.

In 2023, the Foundation updated our funding framework to align with BCH’s strategic priorities by highlighting three core areas that help make up an equitable health system—our Community, our Patients, and our Workforce.

Our Community: We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to reach their full health potential, both physically and mentally.

Our Patients: We believe providing the community with the highest value in health care requires an innovative, patient-centered environment.

Our Workforce: We believe it’s imperative to invest in the professional growth and physical and mental health of BCH’s greatest asset—the staff and physicians providing care to the community.