BEING THERE Gray Ladies the backbone of service at hospital

Nine Red Cross volunteers, also known as “Gray Ladies,” sat around a table on Friday afternoon, reminiscing about their years of assistance at Allen County Hospital and discussing their move to the new hospital in October.
The nine women all have been assisting at the hospital for many years, helping to file paperwork or point people in the right direction. They are a face of the hospital who always are there, but not always recognized.
The volunteers who decide to make the move to the new hospital will merge with the hospital auxiliary.
When the Allen County Hospital CEO Ron Baker asked if the change would be the end or beginning of an era, the women all agreed — “a little bit of both.”

JEAN PROTHE is a volunteer whose welcoming face has been behind the hospital’s doors for 26 years.
Originally from Osceola, Iowa, Prothe, now 86, moved to Iola in 1986. She was urged to join the Red Cross volunteers when a friend suggested it at the Lutheran Church.
“It gives me something to do, and I’ll help people if I can,” she said.
Prothe said she has seen many changes over the years, and has met her fair share of Gray Ladies.
“I’ve worked with many ladies over the years, different people come and go,” she said.
While not also at the forefront of operations in the hospital, she said the volunteers play an essential role to its functions. Many of the everyday tasks are put on the volunteers, and patients often look to them for advice or assistance.
“A lot of people are strangers when they come in the hospital,” she said. “It’s just about being there.”
She said she plans to move to the new hospital in October. She said she is excited to see the new facility, and expects that the volunteers will be busier than ever.

“WHEN YOU walk into the new hospital for the first time, you are going to have that ‘wow’ feeling,” Baker said to the group of volunteers.
During the meeting, he explained some of the changes in the new hospital. The volunteers’ station will be toward the front entrance, so they will be able to assist people more quickly and easily. When asked, most of the volunteers said they plan on making the change to the new facility.
Patty Eisenbart, the supervisor for the volunteers at the hospital, said the hospital wouldn’t be the same without the Gray Ladies.
“I don’t know how we’d do it without you,” she said. “All I can say is thank you.”