Who: WellSpan case management social workers and other team members fanned out across our system to help patients vote at hospitals and rehab units, by bringing ballots to bedsides. This year, our teams helped about 175 patients vote in the presidential election. The teams thought it might have been the highest number of voters ever assisted at WellSpan.

What: WellSpan reached out to nurses, social workers, physicians, and other caregivers several weeks ago, asking them to help identify patients who would like to via an emergency absentee ballot. The ballot is brought to the patient who fills it out and then a WellSpan team member securely transports the completed ballot to the courthouse in that area. 

Words to live by: At WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, patients were thrilled to be able to cast their ballots as they recuperated from illnesses and surgeries. 

Adam Morris, 44, was nervous that a longer-than-expected hospital stay would prevent him from voting in this year’s election. Then his nurse, Kristine Novotny, told him she would be able to help him vote. 

“I’m very thankful to the team here for this opportunity to vote today, it feels good to be recognized,” he said. “It is an important time, and it means a lot to me that they would take the time to help.”

Sara Meyer is an 84-year-old who has voted in every election since she was able to vote. She was tickled when a case management social worker stopped by her WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital room asking her if she wished to vote.  

“It’s a privilege we have that not everyone else has,” Sara noted, “You have to vote to have your say.”  

At the rehab unit at the WellSpan Dixon Foundation Health Center in Lebanon, Ruth Bailor, 88, of Myerstown, spent her morning in occupational therapy and then planned to vote, with the help of Roselyn Boahene, a case management social worker. The retired school cafeteria worker, grandma to seven, and great-grandma to one said, “This was an important election. It’s our right to vote and I’m glad they have a way of taking care of us so we can!”

Volunteers helped with the efforts too.

At WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, volunteer Ron Sweigart ended up helping his sister, Deb Fasnacht, 65, who was a patient at the hospital. Ron, who is a veteran and retired from the military was happy to be available to assist in any way he could to those patients wanting to be able to vote.

Our teams say that helping patients to vote is part of taking care of the whole person and providing individualized care that supports their healthy lifestyles. 

Barbara Selman, assistant manager of case management social work at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, says, “There’s more to a person than their hospital stay, and even in the hospital they have the right to vote. The team here today is very passionate about that.” 

Roselyn Boahene agreed. 

“We support our patients in every way that we can,” she says. “Taking care of their hopes and dreams is important. We don’t want our patients to worry that they are not able to go out to the polls to vote. We want to be sure that patients are comfortable, happy, and content. If things are going are going well for you, you do well health wise.”