April is National Volunteer Month and to celebrate, representatives of the HCA Healthcare Mountain Division – known locally as MountainStar Healthcare – kicked off their “We Show Up for Our Communities” days of service volunteer initiative month by volunteering their time and talents at local nonprofit organization, Neighborhood House.
Sara German, OTD, OTR/L – a Doctor of Occupational Therapy at St. Mark’s Hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation Center (ARC) – and Andrea Arflack, the Development and Communications Director for Neighborhood House, were in attendance at the volunteering event, alongside FOX13’s The PLACE host, Ashley Hawk.
“At HCA Healthcare and St. Mark’s Hospital, our mission is clear: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life,” German said. “Volunteering is about our dedication to serving our communities and it goes beyond our hospital walls. Our care and desire to serve doesn’t stop at the patient room door.”
German has been an occupational therapist for 25 years.
“Especially working in OT, I feel like service is at our core. It’s such an important outlet! It brings us so much joy and meaning,” German added. “I’m so grateful for the efforts of the individuals I get to work with – my patients, especially – and I want to give back to our community because I see how deep my patients dig to make success happen for themselves! I want to replicate that with our community. I want to dig deep and give back – just like my patients. They’re extraordinary!”
Healthcare executives and clinical leaders from the division and occupational therapists with St. Mark’s Hospital assisted with volunteer activities.
“Today, we’re hosting a ‘Four Corners’ experience, where participants rotate through four different activities across our center,” Arflack explained. “Our program follows a social model that uses recreational therapy to support the quality of life for both our clients and their caregivers. Each day is intentionally designed around four key pillars: physical, social, cognitive, and emotional well-being.”
The four activities included:
1. Playing a Plinko-style game inspired by The Price is Right. This activity promotes cognitive engagement through trivia and decision-making, while also encouraging social interaction as participants collaborate and cheer each other on.
2. Engaging in a large inflatable skee-ball game. This activity supports physical movement while also incorporating cognitive skills, as participants keep track of their scores and challenge themselves to improve.
3. Painting pots for the garden at Neighborhood House. This activity focuses on emotional well-being by encouraging creative self-expression, promoting relaxation, and fostering a sense of accomplishment as each person completes their own unique design.
4. Participating in a cooking class where clients made no-bake peanut butter bars. Cooking provides a natural opportunity for social connection, teamwork, and engagement with both peers and staff.
“Neighborhood House is a lifeline for more than 500 children and adults in our community,” Arflack said. The non-profit is located at 1050 West 500 South in Salt Lake City.
Occupational Therapy at St. Mark’s Hospital’s Acute Rehabilitation Center
April is also Occupational Therapy Month and you may not realize just how prevalent and important these professionals are in your daily life.
“Occupational therapists are everywhere! We’re in schools working with young children on their handwriting. We’re in skilled nursing facilities. We’re in people’s homes helping with accessibility modifications to keep people living and thriving at home,” German said. “We’re in factories treating cumulative trauma disorders… We are at the airport and working in public transportation with travel accessibility. We are everywhere!”
The Acute Rehabilitation Center (ARC) at St. Mark’s Hospital serves adult populations, as young as 16 or 17 and as old as people in their 100s! Since the ARC opened in 2012, the hospital and ARC colleagues have helped more than 4,400 patients.
“We have the privilege of doing amazing things and working with amazing people – our patients and the families who stick by their sides,” German added. “At the ARC, so many different kinds of patients who have various backgrounds must re-learn basic self-care skills, mobility and functional performance. We are empowering patients to do what they need and want in their life. It’s about bringing them back to life! Our job really is so empowering and meaningful.”
Conditions treated with acute rehabilitation at St. Mark’s may include, but are not limited to, patients who have experienced loss of function due to:
· Amputations
· Brain injuries
· Complicated orthopedic conditions
· Hip fractures
· Multiple traumas
· Neurological diseases
· Spinal cord dysfunction
· Strokes
· Other disabling conditions
“Our approach is a very wholistic perspective of the personal experience – it’s not just a body – what works and what doesn’t,” German said. “It’s so much more, thanks to activity analysis and the full spectrum of living.”
For more information about inpatient rehabilitation services available at St. Mark’s, call the Acute Rehabilitation Center (ARC) at (801) 293-6800.
Neighborhood House
Neighborhood House is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides affordable, high-quality care for children, families, and adults who count on the organization every day in Salt Lake Valley. Since 1894, Neighborhood House has been committed to helping hard-working, low-income families maintain stable employment and achieve self-sufficiency by having access to quality, affordable care for their loved ones. The non-profit organization helps low-income families succeed by providing quality, affordable day care and support services to children and adults, based on their ability to pay.
The mission of Neighborhood House is to enrich, empower, and educate children and adults through quality, affordable preschool programs, daycare services, and comprehensive support services. Their mission is built on the principles of inclusion, independence, and community engagement. What truly sets the organization apart is their intergenerational programming—a unique aspect that fosters bonds between adults and children, helping to normalize aging and disabilities within the broader community.
“Our vision is for all to receive access to the resources and opportunities they need to create successful, happy, and healthy families,” Arflack added.
According to the nonprofit organization, 86% of preschool students transitioning to kindergarten from Neighborhood House are achieving a literacy and numeracy score of 100 or more indicating kindergarten readiness.
For more information about Neighborhood House and/or to volunteer, visit NHutah.org.
April 2026 Month of Service with MountainStar Healthcare
Logan’s Cache Valley Hospital, Brigham City Community Hospital and Draper’s Lone Peak Hospital are all hosting diaper drives to support the Utah Diaper Bank. If interested, community members can learn more and/or donate to the cause here.
St. Mark’s Hospital and Ogden Regional Medical Center are hosting blood drives. Community members can find a drive near them here: redcross.org/give-blood.
MountainStar Healthcare is proud of the work it does with and to support its community partners, including, but not limited to: · Wasatch Community Gardens · American Cancer Society Hope Lodge · United Way of Salt Lake · United Way of Northern Utah · Granite Education Foundation · Girl Scouts of Utah
