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TeleCare is a free community service in which volunteers call individuals Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to say a simple “hello” to individuals who may live alone, are vulnerable due to health or age-related issues or do not have anyone to check on them

Telecare gives peace of mind to our clients and their families.  It can be a lifesaving service, but more importantly, it offers friendship, kindness and a connection to the community.  If you or someone you know may be interested in this service, please call Regina Olson with JRMC Volunteer Services at (701) 952-4809 or email at regina.olson@jrmcnd.com

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

If you live alone, are homebound, disabled, or recuperating from an illness or injury Telecare may be just the resource to keep you connected and independent.  If you are retired, widowed or a senior citizen, the friendship and kindness offered by our volunteers could be a source of comfort to you.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A Telecare volunteer will call you weekday mornings between 8am-10am.  If they are unable to reach you, arrangements are made to perform a welfare check by a person the client designates

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Our caring calls are completely free of charge and are provided by the JRMC Auxiliary and Volunteer Services.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

You can call JRMC Volunteer Services and you will be asked to provide general information, including the names of 1-2 alternate contacts.  All information is kept confidential.  The calls will begin shortly and can be stopped at any time by calling JRMC Volunteer Services.

HOW DO I BECOME A TELECARE VOLUNTEER?

If you are interested in volunteering as a Telecare caller, please call JRMC Volunteer Services using the number on this brochure.  Calls are made from the comfort of your own home.

JRMC’s Driven to Care program provides curb-to-curb transportation to JRMC patients who need a ride home  and/or to a doctor appointment in Jamestown or the surrounding area up to 200 miles. These patients must have a referral from JRMC medical staff. Driven to Care even includes transportation of spouse or close relative, when the patient is transported via ambulance or air lift.

The JRMC Driven to Care coordinator will match patients with a volunteer driver. JRMC Driven to Care cannot meet requests that do not fit our mission. The coordinator contacts volunteers and provides them with the necessary background information about the person requesting care.  Both the care receiver and volunteer must agree upon this match.  Either party has a right to decline.  The coordinator is available for consultation regarding any special problems that may arise.

Teachers said she talked too much. Her mother joked that her daughter was always up to something.

But that young girl grew into a kind-hearted young woman, whose mission was to serve children. Despite Kala Bercier’s sudden and untimely passing in 2013, her mission continues today.

Kala (Schroeder) Bercier grew up on her parents’ dairy farm in rural Gackle. She graduated from Gackle-Streeter. In 2000, she married Dale Bercier and together, the couple had two children, in addition to his two children from another relationship.

For the benefit of all of the children, Kala volunteered in their activities. Her outgoing and chatty nature meant she was a natural soccer coach, religious education teacher, volunteer with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Victory Lutheran School fundraiser and active church participant.

“She just thought that raising those kids was her mission in life,” says Kala’s mother, Peggy Schroeder.

Schroeder, and her daughter Tanya, Kala’s younger sister, both work at Jamestown Regional Medical Center. Peggy is the unit clerk in the surgery center. Tanya is a radiology technologist.

Kala’s kind heart and outgoing nature also captured the heart of an anonymous donor. That donor made a gift in Kala’s name to JRMC Foundation.

“The gift provides items of comfort to children and their families,” says Foundation Director Lisa Jackson. In an emergency, parents and caregivers aren’t always prepared for a hospital stay.

“When someone in your family is sick, you rush to the hospital without thinking,” Jackson says. “An overnight bag with snacks, toys and a change of clothes is usually an afterthought.”

Kala’s Korner offers personal comfort items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, slippers, as well as toys or activity books for young patients and visitors.

“This is very good,” Peggy says of Kayla’s Korner. “If Kala were alive, this is something she would do.”

The mission of Kala’s Korner touched the hearts of the Jamestown Optimist Club and employees at Heritage Insurance in Jamestown.

“We wanted to make an impact where it was needed,” says Steve Bossert, agent at Heritage Insurance.

Peggy appreciates these gifts, and the anonymous donor who started it all. She loses sleep sometimes, thinking of who the donor is and why that person chose Kala. But she is comforted too, knowing her daughter’s legacy is remembered in a project she’d have admired.

For more information on Kala’s Korner or to make a gift, call JRMC Foundation at (701) 952-4880.