At Carle Health, commitment to service excellence is more than a saying. It’s a reflection of who we are.
Exemplifying that commitment are our hundreds of team members who are veterans or on active duty.
“They said ‘yes’ to their country and ‘yes’ to their community,” Carle Health CEO and President James Leonard, MD, said. “Their service to our country and to our patients mirror each other. They cannot be separated. They reflect their values.”
Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Carle Health honors its many team members who are veterans and all veterans.
Carle Health Veterans Day ceremonies
For years, Carle Health has hosted flag-raising ceremonies on Veterans Day at several hospitals.
“I am proud to announce that we will have flag-raisings at all eight Carle Health hospitals for the first time this year on Nov. 11,” Dr. Leonard said. “Some will be simple, solemn flag-raisings. Others will be ceremonies with prayers and remarks. All are open to the public and will honor our veterans and our flag and everything for which they stand.”
Community members can join the following flagpole events:
Carle MVP group supports veterans and active-duty service members
Carle Health supports team members who are veterans or active duty through Carle MVP (Military and Veteran Professionals), a Carle Inclusion Connection group that serves team members who are veterans, active duty and their allies.
The MVP group is open to active-duty service members, veterans, their families and supporters. Goals are to spotlight the impact of team members who are veterans and active service members, to assist them with professional development opportunities and build camaraderie within that community.
MVP co-leads are Colleen Sheese, program manager for Epic IT Performance and an Army veteran; Eric Swenson, strategic planning coordinator II for Carle Health Strategy and Development and an Army veteran; and Austen Bozarth, Carle Health business development coordinator and a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.
“I see serving as co-lead for MVP as an extension of what I’m doing in the Army,” Bozarth said.
Also continuing to serve is Cassie Steele, LCSW, lead co-responder for the co-responder social service unit, a collaboration between Trillium Place and the Peoria Police Department, and a second lieutenant with the Illinois Army National Guard.
“I continue to serve because I feel strongly that I get more out of service than I put in,” Steele said. “I love what I do. I appreciate the opportunities that come with my Army and civilian careers. The skills that I learn in both careers complement each other.”
Bozarth said, “By having an MVP group, Carle, as an organization, shows its commitment to service members. It keeps those individuals front of mind.”
“Being in the military is a unique shared experience,” Bozarth said. “Creating a space for people to open up about their experiences and network can be therapeutic.”
“Carle is military-friendly,” Steele said. “I joined MVP to offer feedback so we can be the most military- and veteran-friendly organization possible.”
Hope Carlson, an RN in Plastic Surgery at Carle Outpatient Services at The Fields in Champaign, has been a nurse for 27 years and is an Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.
“In the military, you have to work as a team,” Carlson said. “In the medical field, the same thing applies.”
Carlson is active in MVP because she appreciates the camaraderie and service. “Carle cares about us as veterans and as members of the military.”
Any veteran considering applying to work for Carle Health should know that the organization has a group that offers opportunities for service and friendship.
Joy Ledbetter, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, vice president of Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development, is among three MVP executive sponsors.
“Carle Health is proud to honor and support those who have served and continue to serve our country,” Ledbetter said. “We are deeply committed to recruiting veterans and active military personnel and helping them thrive as valued members of our team. Our commitment is embedded in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy, ensuring veterans are welcomed, supported and empowered to grow within our organization.”
Consider an organization that celebrates its team members
Interested in a career with a healthcare organization that celebrates its diversity of team members who put patients first? Click here.
Exemplifying that commitment are our hundreds of team members who are veterans or on active duty.
“They said ‘yes’ to their country and ‘yes’ to their community,” Carle Health CEO and President James Leonard, MD, said. “Their service to our country and to our patients mirror each other. They cannot be separated. They reflect their values.”
Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Carle Health honors its many team members who are veterans and all veterans.
Carle Health Veterans Day ceremonies
For years, Carle Health has hosted flag-raising ceremonies on Veterans Day at several hospitals.
“I am proud to announce that we will have flag-raisings at all eight Carle Health hospitals for the first time this year on Nov. 11,” Dr. Leonard said. “Some will be simple, solemn flag-raisings. Others will be ceremonies with prayers and remarks. All are open to the public and will honor our veterans and our flag and everything for which they stand.”
Community members can join the following flagpole events:
- Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center, Hoopeston, at 7:45 a.m.
- Carle Eureka Hospital, Eureka, at 8 a.m.
- Carle Health Pekin Hospital, Pekin, at 8 a.m.
- Carle Health Proctor Hospital, Peoria, at 8 a.m.
- Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal, at 8:30 a.m.
- Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, Olney, at 11 a.m.
- Carle Foundation Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute entrance, Urbana, at noon.
- Carle Health Methodist Hospital, Peoria, at 12:30 p.m.
Carle MVP group supports veterans and active-duty service members
Carle Health supports team members who are veterans or active duty through Carle MVP (Military and Veteran Professionals), a Carle Inclusion Connection group that serves team members who are veterans, active duty and their allies.
The MVP group is open to active-duty service members, veterans, their families and supporters. Goals are to spotlight the impact of team members who are veterans and active service members, to assist them with professional development opportunities and build camaraderie within that community.
MVP co-leads are Colleen Sheese, program manager for Epic IT Performance and an Army veteran; Eric Swenson, strategic planning coordinator II for Carle Health Strategy and Development and an Army veteran; and Austen Bozarth, Carle Health business development coordinator and a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.
“I see serving as co-lead for MVP as an extension of what I’m doing in the Army,” Bozarth said.
Also continuing to serve is Cassie Steele, LCSW, lead co-responder for the co-responder social service unit, a collaboration between Trillium Place and the Peoria Police Department, and a second lieutenant with the Illinois Army National Guard.
“I continue to serve because I feel strongly that I get more out of service than I put in,” Steele said. “I love what I do. I appreciate the opportunities that come with my Army and civilian careers. The skills that I learn in both careers complement each other.”
Bozarth said, “By having an MVP group, Carle, as an organization, shows its commitment to service members. It keeps those individuals front of mind.”
“Being in the military is a unique shared experience,” Bozarth said. “Creating a space for people to open up about their experiences and network can be therapeutic.”
“Carle is military-friendly,” Steele said. “I joined MVP to offer feedback so we can be the most military- and veteran-friendly organization possible.”
Hope Carlson, an RN in Plastic Surgery at Carle Outpatient Services at The Fields in Champaign, has been a nurse for 27 years and is an Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.
“In the military, you have to work as a team,” Carlson said. “In the medical field, the same thing applies.”
Carlson is active in MVP because she appreciates the camaraderie and service. “Carle cares about us as veterans and as members of the military.”
Any veteran considering applying to work for Carle Health should know that the organization has a group that offers opportunities for service and friendship.
Joy Ledbetter, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, vice president of Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development, is among three MVP executive sponsors.
“Carle Health is proud to honor and support those who have served and continue to serve our country,” Ledbetter said. “We are deeply committed to recruiting veterans and active military personnel and helping them thrive as valued members of our team. Our commitment is embedded in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy, ensuring veterans are welcomed, supported and empowered to grow within our organization.”
Consider an organization that celebrates its team members
Interested in a career with a healthcare organization that celebrates its diversity of team members who put patients first? Click here.
Categories: Culture of Quality
Tags: business, military, mission, MVP, nursing, outpatient, surgery, team, Trillium, Veterans