Working for 30 years or more for the same organization is increasingly rare. At Carle Health, it’s a cause for celebration.
Seventy-one team members are being honored this month for serving Carle Health, including Health Alliance, for 30 or more years. The honor is their names permanently engraved on pavers which are laid at Loyalty Courtyards outside Carle hospitals.
Loyalty Courtyard celebrations typically take place at Carle hospitals during Team Member Appreciation, which this year began June 12 and concludes June 23.
This year’s Loyalty Courtyard honorees include Carle Health team members with 30 years or more of service as of Dec. 31, 2022. Carle’s Loyalty Courtyard tradition will be extended to Greater Peoria team members in 2024, when all Greater Peoria team members with 30 or more years of service will be recognized.
Since the first Loyalty Courtyard celebration in 2017, 856 Carle Health team members with 30 years or more of service have been honored. That includes this year’s 71 honorees.
“That is amazing!” Tracy Helm, Provider Services coordinator, Human Resources, said. “In a working world where 30-year tenure is unheard of, Carle Health continues to see this trend remain steady each year. I am very proud to have the opportunity to work at such a dynamic and innovative organization that employs an amazing group of dedicated and committed team members.”
Helm was part of Loyalty Courtyard’s 2017 inaugural year and has worked at Carle for 37 years. “It was such an honor to be recognized as a part of Carle’s amazing journey,” she said.
This year’s honorees include five physicians and one optometrist as well as other advanced practice providers.
“In this world of seemingly constant change, Carle Health salutes all the professional staff members who have been consistent healthcare providers in the life of patients for 30 years,” Patty Holaday, vice president, Recruitment & Provider Services, said. “In addition, this elite group has been a resource for many newer professional staff members who have since joined in practice.”
Fifty-two team members have been honored this month at Carle Foundation Hospital, 13 at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, four at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital and one each at Carle Eureka Hospital and Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center.
Among team members honored at the Loyalty Courtyard celebration at Carle Foundation Hospital was Julie Freymuth, manager of Quality and Accreditation.
“It is an honor and I am proud to have worked for Carle all these years,” Freymuth said. “Carle has grown and changed in so many great ways over the years. The years have flown by so fast.”
Mark Lareau, Carle Eureka Hospital manager of Emergency Services and School Nurses, was recognized at Eureka’s Loyalty Courtyard.
“I can’t believe it’s been that many years,” he said. “It’s gone quickly. I’m proud to be a part of my current teams and to have been a part of various teams over the past 32 years. I am blessed to work with so many good people.”
Brenda Drury, a staff nurse in the Mother/Baby Unit at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, and Sharon Klingman, a behavioral health therapist with Carle Physician’s Group Behavioral Health Bloomington, were among those honored in the Loyalty Courtyard at Carle BroMenn.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our community and care for so many families over the years,” Drury said. “The staff at BroMenn are family and I take great pride in the excellent care we provide.”
Klingman said being honored at Loyalty Courtyard is “really a nice honor and I love to think I’ll still be on campus after I retire!”
“Since this has been my career for life, I feel like my work life and personal life have always been connected,” Klingman said. “I have been an employee and a patient and the healthcare for myself and my family has always been BroMenn, in all its forms. I think I have worked in just about every building, from Mennonite to CBOC. I have learned so much and grown professionally at every stop on the way. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had here and look forward to many more.”
Among four honorees at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital was Amber Frohning, medical technologist.
“I am honored to be among my co-workers who have dedicated 30-plus years at Carle RMH,” Frohning said. “The best memories are the wonderful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting as co-workers and patients. I have loved my job from the beginning and continue to look forward to coming to CRMH each day that I work.”
Gina Thomas, president, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, said she was honored to celebrate “this incredible achievement at CRMH. As someone who has been with the hospital for 24 years, I have seen the impact that team members with this longevity and loyalty of 30 or more years make in the lives of our neighbors, friends and families. It’s remarkable to think about the contributions made and the number of hours spent caring for others. That time has turned into years of making a difference.”
Seventy-one team members are being honored this month for serving Carle Health, including Health Alliance, for 30 or more years. The honor is their names permanently engraved on pavers which are laid at Loyalty Courtyards outside Carle hospitals.
Loyalty Courtyard celebrations typically take place at Carle hospitals during Team Member Appreciation, which this year began June 12 and concludes June 23.
This year’s Loyalty Courtyard honorees include Carle Health team members with 30 years or more of service as of Dec. 31, 2022. Carle’s Loyalty Courtyard tradition will be extended to Greater Peoria team members in 2024, when all Greater Peoria team members with 30 or more years of service will be recognized.
Since the first Loyalty Courtyard celebration in 2017, 856 Carle Health team members with 30 years or more of service have been honored. That includes this year’s 71 honorees.
“That is amazing!” Tracy Helm, Provider Services coordinator, Human Resources, said. “In a working world where 30-year tenure is unheard of, Carle Health continues to see this trend remain steady each year. I am very proud to have the opportunity to work at such a dynamic and innovative organization that employs an amazing group of dedicated and committed team members.”
Helm was part of Loyalty Courtyard’s 2017 inaugural year and has worked at Carle for 37 years. “It was such an honor to be recognized as a part of Carle’s amazing journey,” she said.
This year’s honorees include five physicians and one optometrist as well as other advanced practice providers.
“In this world of seemingly constant change, Carle Health salutes all the professional staff members who have been consistent healthcare providers in the life of patients for 30 years,” Patty Holaday, vice president, Recruitment & Provider Services, said. “In addition, this elite group has been a resource for many newer professional staff members who have since joined in practice.”
Fifty-two team members have been honored this month at Carle Foundation Hospital, 13 at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, four at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital and one each at Carle Eureka Hospital and Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center.
Among team members honored at the Loyalty Courtyard celebration at Carle Foundation Hospital was Julie Freymuth, manager of Quality and Accreditation.
“It is an honor and I am proud to have worked for Carle all these years,” Freymuth said. “Carle has grown and changed in so many great ways over the years. The years have flown by so fast.”
Mark Lareau, Carle Eureka Hospital manager of Emergency Services and School Nurses, was recognized at Eureka’s Loyalty Courtyard.
“I can’t believe it’s been that many years,” he said. “It’s gone quickly. I’m proud to be a part of my current teams and to have been a part of various teams over the past 32 years. I am blessed to work with so many good people.”
Brenda Drury, a staff nurse in the Mother/Baby Unit at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, and Sharon Klingman, a behavioral health therapist with Carle Physician’s Group Behavioral Health Bloomington, were among those honored in the Loyalty Courtyard at Carle BroMenn.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our community and care for so many families over the years,” Drury said. “The staff at BroMenn are family and I take great pride in the excellent care we provide.”
Klingman said being honored at Loyalty Courtyard is “really a nice honor and I love to think I’ll still be on campus after I retire!”
“Since this has been my career for life, I feel like my work life and personal life have always been connected,” Klingman said. “I have been an employee and a patient and the healthcare for myself and my family has always been BroMenn, in all its forms. I think I have worked in just about every building, from Mennonite to CBOC. I have learned so much and grown professionally at every stop on the way. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had here and look forward to many more.”
Among four honorees at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital was Amber Frohning, medical technologist.
“I am honored to be among my co-workers who have dedicated 30-plus years at Carle RMH,” Frohning said. “The best memories are the wonderful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting as co-workers and patients. I have loved my job from the beginning and continue to look forward to coming to CRMH each day that I work.”
Gina Thomas, president, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, said she was honored to celebrate “this incredible achievement at CRMH. As someone who has been with the hospital for 24 years, I have seen the impact that team members with this longevity and loyalty of 30 or more years make in the lives of our neighbors, friends and families. It’s remarkable to think about the contributions made and the number of hours spent caring for others. That time has turned into years of making a difference.”
Categories: Culture of Quality