If there is anyone that is currently providing this program at their hospital, I would like to get more information about it, how it works and any service descriptions would be very helpful.  Thanks!

We are beginning this program this month.  You can get the information you need from the hospital where it started, Sacred Heart Medical Center, Eugene OR.  The contact we had is Carleen McCornack, cmccornack@peacehealth.org.  The founder is Sandra Clarke, CCRN.

I'm resurrecting this old topic I found from 2010.  We are looking into this NODA program and I know where it began and a little about it.  i was wondering if anyone can share with me if they started such a program (even if you don't call it NODA) and how difficult it was to obtain the needed volunteers?  Also do you do the training or is it done by a Palliative Care nurse in your facility?  How often do the volunteers get called in and how many volunteers does it take to maintain the program?  One more question: has there been an instance when a volunteer could not be obtained and the person still died alone? What then?

I appreciate any and all information anyone is willing to share.

Thanks,

Patty

We have a NODA program. Our initial training is done by someone from the Palliative Care Team, usually the Nurse Practitioner. We do limit our on call hours for the volunteers to Monday - Saturday 8am-7pm. Nurses wishing to activate the system use the operator to call a volunteer who oversees activating other volunteers. 

We have a volunteer handbook for this program. Those who are interested can email me and I will send it out. kriegl@shands.ufl.edu.

We implemented NODA after talking with Sacred Heart in Oregon and also purchasing their guide book probably close to 10 years ago.  We never had much success in getting it to become part of our culture.  It was not difficult to recruit volunteers.  I believe our issue was that it was initially a program of our Spirituality in the Workplace committee.  So, when that leadership changed - it had no "owner".  I am happy to share any information that you would like.  Procedures, position descriptions, etc.

Wish it had been a robust service, as clearly it meets a unique need.

Jenelen Dulemba