HERMISTON, Ore.-The 2025 Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) Employee Service Awards were held on October 23.
GSHCS employees were honored for tenures of service ranging from five to 45 years at the ceremony held at the Maxwell Pavilion Event Center.
“Why do we celebrate service to our organization?” GSHCS President and CEO Art Mathisen asked the employees, co-workers, and family members in attendance. “It speaks to the loyalty, dedication, and skill set of our employees.”
38 GSHCS employees were recognized for five years of service, while 29 were awarded for a decade of service. Seven employees were honored for 20 years of service, 11 were awarded for 15 years of service, and seven for 25 years.
Three employees who have been with GSHCS for 30, 35, and 45 years, respectively, were also honored.
“Thank you for your service to GSHCS and for the patients in the community we serve,” said Mathisen. “One of the things I hear the most from new recruits is, ‘wow everybody’s happy to be here,’ so our employees are one of the top resources that make people want to come to GSHCS. I’m so proud of that and our culture and all of you.”
GSHCS Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Manager Tony Garberg was honored for his 25 years of service.
“It’s been a positive experience full of constant change,” said Garberg, who has held several positions with GSHCS, including as a respiratory therapist and manager of an in-home medical equipment company, before reopening Good Shepherd’s cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program in 2011.
“I’ve been able to do things at Good Shepherd that I never dreamed I’d do,” said Garberg. “We’ve done new things never seen at a hospital before.”
For Cherie Wilson, Manager of the Family Birth Center at GSHCS, who was honored for 35 years of service, it’s the patients that make her career so meaningful.
“I fell in love with the families, the birth center is more than babies, it’s the entire family,” said Wilson. “I love our patients, and I still find my way into patient rooms every day at work.”
Looking back on her career, Wilson credits an aptitude test taken her sophomore year of high school with pointing her toward healthcare.
“The test said I should be a teacher or a nurse, and my parents laughed at the thought of me being a teacher, so nurse it was,” said Wilson.
Natalie Journot, the longest-serving employee honored at the awards ceremony, was recognized for 45 years of service as a nurse.
“I basically grew up in the halls of Good Shepherd,” said Journot. “I went into nursing because I wanted to help people. I think there’s something in a person’s DNA that makes them want to help others navigate through stressful times.”
Journot got into nursing when the profession embraced a holistic approach, including the physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of a patient. While she has experienced many changes throughout her career, that is something she hopes can continue.
“After 45 years, I still say a prayer every time I walk into the hospital,” said Journot. “That I do no harm and I take good care of my patients.”
