Watch the slideshow featuring Penn State Health employees who have served in the military.
Click on the image below to view the photos on Flickr.
Vets Indexes Recognized Employer 2024
VETS Indexes has named Penn State Health a 2024 VETS Indexes Recognized Employer. The award recognizes the health system’s commitment to recruiting, hiring, retaining, developing and supporting veterans and the military-connected community.
Penn State Health pays tribute to veterans, active-duty military for Memorial Day
A Memorial Day observance took place on May 23. The Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Military and Veteran Business Employee Resource Group hosted the observance.
Free coffee for Penn State Health and College of Medicine military and veteran workforce
On Thursday, Nov. 11, the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Military and Veteran Business Employee Resource Group will offer free donuts and coffee from 6:45 to 8:15 a.m. at all hospital cafeterias.
Penn State Health Military and Veterans Business Employee Resource Group
Penn State Health’s regional military and veterans business and employee resource groups are dedicated to recognizing, supporting and advocating for the rights and needs of military and veteran employees and patients. These groups also support workplace equity, promote staff development for employees and advance the delivery of high-quality and culturally sensitive care to the military and veteran populations.
To join the Penn State Health Military and Veterans Business Employee Resource Group, complete this short survey.
Fallen Comrade tables on display May 20 to May 31 at all Penn State Health cafeteria locations and Crystal A
A Fallen Comrade Table, also known as the Missing Man Table, is set up annually in the cafeterias at Penn State Health hospital locations during Memorial Day week. The table is reserved to honor our fallen comrades in arms and symbolizes that they are here with us in spirit.
We should never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation’s call and served the cause of freedom. We are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that, while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured the agonies of pain, deprivation and death.
The meaning of the items on this special table:
- The tablecloth is white to symbolize the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.
- The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of our fallen comrades and the loved ones and friends of these comrades who keep the faith.
- The vase is tied with a red ribbon as a symbol of our continued determination to remember our fallen comrades.
- A slice of lemon on the bread plate reminds us of the bitter fate of those who will never return.
- A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by the families of those who have sacrificed all.
- The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country.
- The glass is inverted; the fallen cannot toast with us at this time.
- The chair is empty because those honored are no longer with us.
Let us always remember our brave service members – and never forget their sacrifices.
May they and their families ever be watched over and protected.
Flags of Honor expanded to include all Penn State Health Medical Centers
More than 350 flags pay tribute to veterans, active military through Flags of Honor program
Thanks to support for Penn State Health’s Flags of Honor program, more than 350 American flags were displayed at the entrances of our community hospitals from Memorial Day through July 15.
Employees, patients, families and community members purchased a small U.S. flag through the program to pay tribute to someone who had served or is currently serving in the military and chose the Penn State Health location where it would be displayed. Those honored, or their families, received an acknowledgement informing.
Penn State Health explores life after service for military veterans
Penn State Health values the contributions of military and veteran employees and strives to understand how best to support them when military service ends. The Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reached out to veteran employees for their perspectives on life after military service.
Veterans to Veterans Program to Launch in 2025
The Veterans to Veterans program provides the opportunity for a veteran patient at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center or their family member to receive a visit from a veteran employee of Penn State Health or Penn State College of Medicine. The initiative aims to provide comradery to patients who have military service backgrounds to improve care and create an avenue of communication between our employee veteran population and veteran inpatients and their families. For more information, email [email protected].
National Wreaths Across America Day
National Wreaths Across America Day is a time to remember, honor and educate through wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 2,800 locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad. In 2024, the event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14.
How can I participate in National Wreaths Across America Day?
All veteran wreaths are community funded. The goal is to place a wreath for every veteran nationwide but, most specifically, at a local cemetery. Please consider sponsoring veteran wreaths that will be placed on the graves of our nation's heroes at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery by visiting the Wreaths Across America website. If you would like to volunteer at the wreath-laying ceremony on Dec. 16, 2023, or assist in saying veteran names aloud and thanking them for their service, you can register as a volunteer by clicking here and selecting the Volunteer button.
What should I expect as a volunteer on National Wreaths Across America Day?
As a volunteer, you will join tens of thousands across the nation in placing wreaths on the markers of our fallen heroes. As you place each wreath, you will say the veteran’s name to ensure that person’s legacy of duty, service and sacrifice is never forgotten.
Military couple-turned Penn State Health employees call for awareness of veterans’ unique health care needs
Veterans face unique health challenges, and Penn State Health is committed to providing care that respects their experiences. Navy veterans Mark and Julie Chesney, both Penn State Health employees, advocate for more awareness of veterans’ mental and physical health needs. They’re proud that Penn State Health also supports veterans through meaningful careers.
Military Veteran Brings Crisis Skills to Penn State Health ER
“In the military, crisis management is a big part of the training that we get. Because of that, I’ve had more experience than a lot of people I work with only because I do both military service and nursing” said Littlewood, who lives in Enola with his wife of 23 years, who is also a nurse. “That ability to manage a crisis is important so that we can do what we need to do in the ER. And, hopefully, I provide some of that experience and mentorship to folks.”
Littlewood admits he enjoys calming chaos. He’s embraced it throughout his life, whether it’s as a part-time night-shift nurse, as a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard or as a volunteer fireman.