By Linda Ballard, Chief Human Resource Officer
“All freedom isn’t free for all. A lot of sacrifices and lives were lost for it, so the recognition [from BHG for Veteran’s Day] is well received.”
Franklin Jones Jr., Program Director, BHG Chesapeake South, Retired Senior Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy
To Our Veterans, We Thank You
On November 11, we celebrated Veterans Day as a nation to honor those who have served in the military, and those who are still serving, to protect and preserve our country’s freedom. We are grateful for their sacrifices which allow us to come to work every day and do the life-changing work that we do. We’re also immensely proud of our BHG colleagues who are veterans. I was profoundly struck by the response of gratitude by Franklin Jones Jr., Program Director for BHG Chesapeake South. “All freedom isn’t free for all. A lot of sacrifices and lives were lost for it, so the recognition is well received.”
We have many BHG colleagues who are veterans, and to you, we say “We salute you. We honor you. We thank you.” We had a chance to hear from some of our veterans who not only shared their wonderful photos in uniform, they also told us how their military experience informed the way they serve their teammates and patients.
Also, be sure to check out our Resource Section of this newsletter for some great links to organizations and resources supporting Veterans.
Chad Coursey, BHG VP Operations
Commander, U. S. Navy
Served 20 years
“The mantra throughout my military service that applies to my work today was that there was a cause bigger than me. ‘Ship, Shipmate, Self’ was a phrase we learned on day one, which means my contribution to the organization matters more than my personal interests. Squadrons and ships come up with their own slogans and mine was ‘One Team, One Fight’ to remind my peers and sailors that the greatest success occurs when we all work together.”
Franklin Jones Jr., Program Director, BHG Chesapeake South
Senior Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy
Served 22 years
“My military experience provided me with an unmatched, exemplar drive and standard toward honor in service to our patients and my team members and I commit to it every day.”
Dr. Benjamin Nordstrom, M.D., Ph.D., BHG Chief Medical Officer
Deployed twice as a psychiatrist with the U.S. Army Reserve
Served 9 years
“The Army taught me that it is possible for world-class care to be delivered under extremely trying conditions, so long as the mission and the patient are always put first and leadership gets the right resources delivered into the right hands at the right time.”
Rikkard L. Rambo, BSW, MBA, Program Director, MTC-BHG Gaylord
Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force
Served 21 years
“The Air Force Core Values of ‘Integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do’ taught me the value of serving others, giving 110%, and being who you say you are.”
Michael Whipple, CSAC, NCACI, CCJAP, QMHP-A, Program Director, BHG Chesapeake
Intelligence Specialist, U.S. Navy Reserve
Served 8 years
“As an Intelligence Specialist, I learned how to effectively communicate with people in a professional and articulate manner.”
Celebrate Our Nurses for National Nurse Practitioner Week
Our Nurse Practitioners rock! On November 7 through 13, we celebrated National Nurse Practitioners Week. To all of you, we are so thankful for all that you do to help our patients and teams save lives from the grip of addiction. If you haven’t already, be sure to use our Applause tool to send a special thank you to your nurse practitioner.
Fun facts: check out the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ Proclamation Map where you can see each state’s efforts to get signed proclamations from elected officials in support of the incredibly important role you all play in patient care. According to AANP, in 2019, NP Week proclamations were signed by 47 governors, which set a new record. Last year, proclamations were received from 41 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Pacific Territories.
Annual Performance Reviews Start this Month
Employee feedback is important for career growth and development. Our annual performance review is an opportunity for each team member to complete a self-review and update goals progression. Managers will complete performance reviews and meet with each team member individually to review overall performance.
BHG Wants to Give Bonuses for New Staff Referrals
