Dr. Peter Chang and Grace Health were recently recognized as a Patriot Employer by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense Program. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between the Reserve Component Service member and their civilian employer. The intent of this program is to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for employee participation in the military providing tools to effectively manage employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
National Guardsmen Airman First Class Allison Bartha nominated her employer, Grace Health, for the Patriot Award which reflects the efforts made by Grace Health to support citizen warriors including flexible work schedules, time off for deployments and granting leaves of absence during active military orders. Prior to taking a leave of absence from Grace Health in August of 2018, Allison worked closely with Grace Health to communicate her military orders and training requirements which was instrumental in a smooth transition back to the civilian workforce in April 2019.
The Patriotic Award recognizes supervisors and managers nominated by the National Guardsman employee for support provided to the nominator. Recognizing supportive employers is vital to ESGR’s mission.