HONOLULU – The Queen’s Medical Center (Queen’s) has presented volunteer Chiye Takitani with this year’s Ho‘omau Award, which recognizes longevity of service.
Volunteers have always been an integral part of Queen’s, starting with the hospital’s founder, Queen Emma, who regularly visited patients. From April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, Queen’s volunteers donated 79,327 hours of their time. They helped discharge 2,778 patients. They transported 1,215 patients and visitors to destinations throughout the hospital, and made 1,406 deliveries of floral arrangements, magazines and gift shop items to patient rooms.
Takitani began volunteering at Queen’s 23 years ago after she retired from Castle & Cooke, Inc., where she worked for 34 years. It didn’t take long for her to find her niche at Queen’s Surgical Waiting Room, where she provides assistance to family and friends of patients who are undergoing procedures.
“Chiye is the friendly, familiar face you see as you enter the Surgical Waiting Room. When she is not there, we have physicians asking us, ‘Where’s Chiye? When is she coming back?’ She’s a very pleasant volunteer who never lets a difficult situation upset her. She has helped us by covering additional shifts when other volunteers were out sick or on vacation. She has also trained several of our Surgical Waiting Room volunteers. We are glad that she has dedicated some of her time to help the patients, staff and visitors here at The Queen’s Medical Center,” said April Light, Manager of Queen’s Volunteer Services.
When her sister, Machiko Tsuruya, retired from the University of Hawaii in 2004, Takitani recruited her to volunteer at Queen’s.
“I really enjoy volunteering and helping the people who come in. Twenty-three years have gone by fast,” said Takitani, who received a trophy and monetary award. Her name has been added to a perpetual plaque.
For more information about the volunteer program, visit www.queens.org/careers/volunteer-careers.
