Ogeechee Area Hospice's Executive Director, Vanessa Ramirez, RN, MSN, was recognized with the Service Member Patriot Award on Monday, August 12, 2024.
Tinker Lanier, the Business Development Manager for Ogeechee Area Hospice, says two of their National Guard employees nominated Ramirez for the distinguished Service Member Patriot Award. Vanessa was unaware that she had been nominated.
The presentation took place at 9:30am and was conducted by Randy Hardin, 1SG, USA (Ret.) from the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
Hardin drove from Cochran, Georgia to present the award.
Also present were Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Nick Spletstoser of the South Carolina Army National Guard and Chaplain, Colonel, David Daus of the Air Force Reserve, both of whom played a key role in nominating Ramirez for this distinguished honor.
When asked to share what inspired his nomination, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Spletstoser shared this moving tribute:
At Ogeechee Area Hospice we have had great leadership over the years. Executive Directors as well as Clinical Directors have always been supportive. What has been somewhat different is that Mrs. Vanessa Ramirez has had to balance out two employees that are serving in the National Guard and Reserves who have been called to active duty and assignments fairly regularly.
[Ramirez] has never asked for us to “justify” that. My last deployment, which took me away for a year and I was only able to give her a few months’ notice about, she never questioned whether or not I should be able to go or how it would affect the organization. The first focus was “how can we support you and your family” and then secondary to that was to develop a plan to make sure that patients and care could still be covered in my absence.
She also did this while carrying the responsibilities of Executive Director and Clinical Director, which are two very different responsibilities.
Vanessa and our current Clinical Director, Stanalee Blackburn, both understand the mission is greater than the organization.
It’s the people that make up this great organization of Ogeechee Area Hospice.
I believe Vanessa Ramirez understands that to take care of your National Guard and Reserve employees (and their families) by honoring their obligation to serve throughout the year [...] it doesn’t take away from the organization we work for. To honor that service obligation and to support us is to give us more confidence and assurance that the company and leadership “have our backs” as well. That term means a lot to Service Members. This is something I believe that more businesses and companies can learn when hiring National Guard and Reserve (Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy) to be an employee.
About the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award
An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve, or the spouse of a Guard or Reserve member, may nominate individual supervisors and bosses for support provided directly to the nominating Service member and his or her family.
The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.
Learn more here.
