Los Robles volunteer of 20 years dissed because of dyed hair

Purple hair creates rift with hospital regulations



DIFFERENT SHADE— Lisa Adkins, a longtime volunteer at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, said a policy change at the hospital that requires “business-like” hair color among the staff means she is no longer welcome as a volunteer.

DIFFERENT SHADE— Lisa Adkins, a longtime volunteer at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, said a policy change at the hospital that requires “business-like” hair color among the staff means she is no longer welcome as a volunteer.

If it weren’t for a positive attitude and kind comments from strangers, it could’ve been a blue Christmas for one lavender-haired hospital volunteer.

Since 1998, Lisa Adkins has volunteered at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Hers was one of the friendly smiles visitors saw when they walked through the doors and needed directions, had general questions or wanted help getting to the labor and delivery floor.

That changed Dec. 16, when Adkins, 55, was told she could no longer serve at the reception desk because of her looks, she said.

Though she’s sported all varieties of hair color—including red, pink, black, brown, blue, gray and “Barney purple”—she was told she’d now have to change her hair color or work in an area hidden from public view.

“It was devastating to me,” she said, calling her volunteer time the highlight of her week. “Both my kids were born there, my dad died there, it’s my neighborhood hospital and my doctor’s hospital.”

Adkins said she first learned of the new hair-color policy when her supervisor approached her and asked her if she’d brought a hat to work. As hats are not part of the uniform as outlined in the volunteer handbook, she did not have one.

Feeling humiliated and offended, Adkins offered to go home. From there she tried to clear up the situation by calling a hospital board member.

“He told me that Los Robles was a conservative hospital,” she said. “He also stated that about three weeks ago, a rule had been established that staff must have business-like hair color. The volunteers had not been informed of any such change.”

A member of the human resources staff told her not only that she couldn’t continue to work the front desk with her current hair color, but she couldn’t continue to volunteer, a different option than she had been given at first, she said.

“Lastly, he recommended that I not publish anything about the occurrence with social media or the newspaper,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the hospital, Adam Blackstone, vice president of marketing and public relations, would only say that Adkins was not let go.

In a letter to the Acorn, he sent a statement regarding the hospital’s professional standards and expectations of employees and volunteers.

“Our volunteers are a tremendously valuable part of our care team, and to the patients and families that they serve. In the interests of supporting effective patient care and presenting a professional image to our patients and the public, all employees and volunteers are expected to adhere to the professional standards, as outlined in our policy,” he wrote.

Blackstone declined to say when the policy had been changed regarding hair color.

About a month ago, Adkins said, she was asked to appear in a promotional video for Los Robles with her purple hair.

She said she would have taken the news better if she’d been pulled aside privately and told the policy was changing and she’d have to tone down her hair color within a few days or if a general message had gone out to everyone giving them some kind of notice.

Adkins said she’s not sure what she’ll do in the way of a new long-term hobby or activity, but for now she has a 4-week-old granddaughter to keep her busy.

She’s also discovered a bit of celebrity. Since her story has gotten out, she’s been approached at the grocery store and other public places and on social media by people commenting on how pretty her hair is and how silly the hospital policy is, she said.

“It’s nice and I didn’t expect it,” she said. “It’s helped to cheer me up.”

One Facebook message has stood out in particular. It was a note from a former Los Robles nurse who now works at a facility for Alzheimer’s patients, a disease for which people show their support by wearing purple ribbons.

“She said they would love to have me as a volunteer there— with my purple hair,” Adkins said


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