MaineGeneral receives Pro Patria Award
AUGUSTA, Maine – MaineGeneral Medical Center (MGMC) has been awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Pro Patria Award. MGMC earned this recognition from the US Department of Defense due to its steadfast support of its National Guard and Reserve employees.
Chuck Hays, president & CEO of MaineGeneral Health, accepted the 2018 Maine Large Business Pro Patria Award during a ceremony at Camp Chamberlain.
“We’re pleased to receive this recognition for doing something we feel strongly is the right thing to do,” said Hays. “Our employees who are Guard and Reserve members play a big role in the culture of excellence at MaineGeneral, to the benefit of all our patients. It is a sincere honor to receive the 2018 Maine Pro Patria Award and share it with all our employees.”
Maine ESGR State Chair Joshua Scroggins presented the Pro Patria Award.
“MaineGeneral Medical Center clearly values their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve,” Scroggins said. “They work hard to recruit and retain Guard and Reserve members and provide them with the support they need to do great things for the medical center, for their community and for the nation.”
Every year, each ESGR State Committee presents the Pro Patria Award to up to three employers (one small, one large and one public-sector employer). The Pro Patria Award is progressive in nature; recipients of this particular award must have at least one supervisor or other representative honored with a Patriot Award, and recipients must sign a Statement of Support. The Pro Patria Award is the highest level of award that an ESGR State Committee can bestow on an employer.
MaineGeneral was nominated for the award by Mark Wright, PA-C, of MaineGeneral Orthopaedics.
“I am proud to be a member of the Maine Army National Guard and MaineGeneral Medical Center,” Wright said. “As I transitioned out of active duty and did a tour in Iraq, I came back and was employed by MaineGeneral Orthopeadics. At the same time, I transitioned into a new position as an aviation medical officer for the MEDEVAC and Air Assault Company in Bangor. In their mission as part of statewide emergency response, they at times require practice landings at Maine hospitals for the potential need to drop off patients or personnel. Requests to land at MaineGeneral have always been received with open invitations.
“MaineGeneral is always willing and supportive in mutual exercises to prepare for events. MaineGeneral has also offered Flight Medic training opportunities to members of the Army National Guard with enthusiasm and overwhelming support. I have not worked with a more supportive hospital in my 34 years in the military.”
MGMC also was selected as a semifinalist in the ESGR Secretary of Defense Freedom Awards. The Freedom Award began in 1996 by ESGR, and MGMC was one of 149 selected semifinalists nationwide. The semifinalists were chosen from more than 2,300 nominations.
For more information about the Pro Patria Award, please visit https://esgr.mil/Employer-Awards/Pro-Patria-Award.
About the ESGR
ESGR, a Department of Defense program, seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. ESGR facilitates and promotes a cooperative culture of employer support for National Guard and Reserve service by developing and advocating mutually beneficial initiatives, recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and policies, resolving potential conflicts between employers and their service members, and acting as the employers’ principal advocate within Department of Defense. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.
