Ruth Bridges (center) recognizing Eastside’s Joint and Spine unit for collecting the most soda can tabs for second quarter 2017 to be donated to the Ronald McDonald house campaignEvery year HCA honors their employees nationwide with the HCA Awards of Distinction. Winners selected at local HCA facilities like Eastside are then nominated for consideration among their regional peers, and regional winners are then nominated for national recognition. Bridges was selected as the volunteer award recipient to represent the 22 facilities in three states that comprise HCA TriStar Division. Bridges is an active member of the Eastside Medical Center Auxiliary and Health 2 You (H2U) Program.
Ruth Bridges is truly a volunteer “extraordinaire” and has been a loyal and dedicated volunteer at Eastside Medical Center for over 13 years. Her long tenure has included serving on the Auxiliary Board, where she served as President of the Board for two years. Bridges currently serves as Vice President of Documentation on the Auxiliary Board, Vice President of H2U, and will be serving again as the new H2U President in September of 2017.
A Passion for People
Ruth Bridges and fellow H2U Member Gail Kramer at the 2017 Senior Solutions Expo at Bethesda Park
If you have had the pleasure of meeting Ruth, you know that her positive spirit shines bright. When asked why she loves volunteering, she explains that her love of people and helping others drives her passion in her volunteer endeavors.
“I always encourage others to come in to volunteer at Eastside,” Bridges explains, “I love people and I have met wonderful people through volunteering. I enjoy greeting visitors wherever I’m stationed, because when people are coming to the hospital it’s usually to visit someone sick, so I always try to smile and help brighten their day and make them feel better.”
A Fan Favorite at Every Hospital Bake Sale
Bridges has been affectionately named the “Best Auxiliary Baker” and won the hospital’s “Taste of Eastside- Best Dessert Contest” in 2016, which was a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Georgia. She is famous for stocking every bake sale fundraiser with her famous coconut cream pies or one of her delicious homemade cakes. Each quarter, the hospital holds a competition to see which department can collect the most soda can tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. Bridges bakes an array of her famous baked goodies for all of the winners. Taking her love of cooking to the next level, Bridges helped the Auxiliary create and publish a cook book, which helped raise a tremendous amount of money for the hospital and the Auxiliary’s scholarship fund.
Ruth Bridges serving her famous banana pudding at the Taste of Eastside fundraising eventAn Activist About Town
Bridges is very active in Eastside’s H2U volunteer organizations throughout the community. In fact, she was Travel Coordinator for the many trips H2U sponsors each year. She founded and chaired the book club, where she remains active to this day. She also attends line dancing almost every week and keeps everyone active.
Living Out Eastside Medical Center’s Mission
It’s clear that Ruth Bridges truly loves and cares for others, which shows in her interactions with not only patients, but Eastside’s employees and board members. Her sense of humor is contagious and her colleagues on the Auxiliary enjoy her positive attitude and can-do spirit.
“Ruth is definitely a servant of our hospital and our community, and I am proud to say that she is part of the heart of Eastside Medical Center,” said Eastside Medical Center’s Chief Executive Officer, Trent Lind, “She exemplifies what is so tremendous about the value of volunteerism, giving selflessly for the care and improvement of human life, here at Eastside Medical Center.”
