NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — For Jenny Scott, helping patients in their time of need is more than just a job.
It’s a passion going back decades to her first-hand family experience with healthcare.
“My grandmother was sick and I would help take care of her,” Scott said. “Then my grandfather had a heart attack. And I really knew that I wanted to be part of the healthcare team that can help people.”
Scott would begin her journey with volunteer work at 16 years old as a ‘Candy Striper’ at James Walker Memorial Hospital in 1966.
She would spend her shifts taking care of comfort tasks around the hospital so nurses could spend more time treating each patient.
“We would take flowers and deliver them to patients. We would help them with discharges,” Scott said. “We had what was called a juice cart. We would go to all of the floors and the wards and deliver juice to patients and their family members.”
Scott gained hands-on skills in her role for several years before attending UNCW and graduating in 1971 (part of a class of just 11 people) with a degree in nursing.
She briefly spent time away from the area, following her military husband to Durham and then Texas before returning to the Cape Fear in 1973.
In the many years to follow, Scott has developed the magic touch for bed-side manner for patients and their loved ones.
“You see a family member that’s sitting in a chair and they might be like this [slouched in chair] and you just say, ‘Would you like to have a warm blanket? Would you like to have a cup of coffee? Is there anything that I can do for you?’,” Scott continued.
Scott has given a lot of herself to the job over the years, but says it’s just as rewarding now as it’s always been to help in anyway she can.
“They have made me feel like I’m a part of their team,” Scott said. “I Just am so appreciative for the opportunity to do this. To be here working with them and making a difference.”
Scott currently volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday at Scott’s Hill Medical Center, still wearing the pins on her vest she wore when she first began volunteering.
She hopes to continue walking the halls of the hospital for years to come.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each evening on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
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