Minoo Sarachi

In 2006, when Minoo accepted a volunteer position at North York General Hospital’s (NYGH) Information Desk, she was confident it would be a great fit. An experienced and successful laboratory technician in Iran, Minoo was drawn to volunteering in health care. “I knew I wanted my volunteer experience to revolve around helping people. At the information desk, I was the first point of contact for the patient and their family. I was able to reassure them while providing location information about their appointment. If needed, I could connect them with our volunteer Ambassador team to take them to where they needed to be. People were so relieved and grateful, it was very rewarding,” said Minoo. 

This past year Volunteer Services collaborated with our Oncology Clinic to build a new volunteer program. Volunteers assist staff with patient registration, monitoring the waiting room and flowing patients to exam rooms. Recognizing Minoo’s stellar customer service, her ability to speak more than one language and her familiarity with health care and the hospital, Volunteer Services approached Minoo about this new volunteer opportunity and she accepted. 

According to the Oncology Clinic administrative staff Minoo has been a great addition to our team. She supports our Farsi speaking patients during the registration process, helping to alleviate their stress.

Minoo shared that years ago her nephew, when a young adult, was diagnosed with cancer. Minoo became one of his supports during treatment, travelling from North York to New York to accompany him to every chemotherapy appointment. Thankfully her nephew is doing well today. This experience reiterated to Minoo the importance of her giving her time to help others. 

“We are lucky to have Minoo as part of our oncology team. She is stupendous, thoughtful, and helpful. Minoo’s support improves the quality of patient care by contributing to the patient’s satisfaction, as well as reducing the anxiety of family members and the stress of a hospital stay. Volunteers like Minoo are vital to our program and their passion for helping others is what makes our services people-centered,” said Rabih Yehya, Clinical Team Manager. 

Minoo, thank you for ensuring people come first in everything you do!