At THS we have a diverse staff who serve the needs of our patients in a variety of ways. We have physicians, nurses, substance use disorder and mental health counselors, and medical services technicians. Our medical services technicians help our patients maintain the integrity of their sobriety so they can reach their treatment goals. We spoke with Shelly Sisler, who is a medical services technician at our Snohomish/Everett branch. Recently, Shelly spent five twelve-hour days volunteering at the Seattle/King County Clinic. This event is driven by volunteers and healthcare physicians to provide free medical, dental, and vision services. Shelly doesn’t just do her job she goes above and beyond to serve people in need in our community. As Shelly puts it, “I’m a helper, I like to help people.”
Shelly started volunteering when she was 6 years old, feeding the homeless with her church. Her volunteerism developed throughout her childhood. Shelly spent time in her teenage years visiting hospitals to provide emotional support to elderly patients. “I’ve always just kinda had a heart to serve people who just need a little extra love” said Shelly.
Five years ago, Shelly heard about the Seattle/King County Clinic from a patient and learned more about volunteer opportunities after visiting their website. A mission-driven, compassionate person, Shelly decided to sign up. She didn’t really know what to expect, but when she arrived, she was blown away by all the resources and support available there for attendees. “All of the patients there were just so appreciative of the services that were available for them” said Shelly. It was such a great experience that she signed up again the following year and Shelly has now volunteered at the clinic for the last five years.
Shelly volunteers in the dental section of the event, assisting with dental x-rays. While not trained as a dental assistant, Shelly jumped right in and with on-site training learned how to enter data on the x-rays, document them, and track dentist’s efforts. Shelly became so good in her role that by the end of the event she stepped into a leadership role, teaching other volunteers how to complete the tasks. Shelly does a lot in the dental section, in the photo here, you see Shelly in front of a large room full of dental equipment. Shelly helped unpack and assemble the 80 dental chairs seen in this photo!
Shelly isn’t just an awesome volunteer, she’s an awesome employee and co-worker. “Shelly is the epitome of above and beyond every day. She represents herself and THS very well. She never runs out of energy, and is never too busy to assist anyone. She is an incredibly fast learner, and has lots of knowledge. Shelly works tirelessly and make’s everyone’s day a whole lot easier. She is a blessing to this branch, and I feel exceptionally lucky to have her as a friend” said Promise, a co-worker at the Snohomish/Everett Branch.
Don’t imagine that Shelly is going to be taking it easy. She’s already signed up for another volunteer event scheduled in May at the Convoy of Hope – Snohomish County Event. Shelly has been invited back to the Seattle/King County Clinic next year too. She’s even been asked to step up into a leadership role where she’ll assist in the training and managing of volunteers. Shelly wants anyone who wants to connect more with their community, to consider volunteering. One of her favorite quotes comes from Coretta Scott King, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
