MILLCREEK/SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a U.S. Department of Defense program, presented the Service Member Patriot Award Thursday to Reverend Nancy Cormack-Hughes, BCC – the Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Director of Spiritual Care at St. Mark’s Hospital – during a ceremonial presentation.
The Patriot Award is a recognition given to employers of those National Guard or Reserve members who wish to thank their supervisors for the encouragement they provide to the U.S. 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.
The award was created to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees.
Rev. Daniel Haas, who is on a one-year deployment from ECS serving as the Division Support Chaplain for the 76th Operational Response Command at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, nominated Rev. Cormack-Hughes to receive this honor, unbeknownst to her.
“Nancy does a great job facilitating my military service. She is extremely supportive of everybody’s professional development and she recognizes that U.S. Army chaplaincy makes me a better hospital chaplain, as well,” Rev. Haas, the Fort Douglas Garrison Chaplain, said.
Cormack-Hughes is responsible for the spiritual well-being of healthcare colleagues, patients and their loved ones at St. Mark’s Hospital and other facilities that ECS serves.
In addition to actively engaging in Veterans Days events at the eight MountainStar Healthcare hospitals, Haas says the hospitals promote veteran-centric care.
“Over my time at ECS, I have worked for MountainStar Healthcare/HCA Healthcare hospitals all over Salt and Davis Counties,” Haas explained. “They take great care in allowing time and space for my military duties and training. They provide timely and ample support staffing for my absences. The hospitals and ECS leaders take pride in supporting my military services.”
Nancy Cormack-Hughes has spent more than 30 years in vocational ministry across the nation. As an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is Board Certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). In her current role, chaplain students from The Spiritual Care & ACPE Education Center at St. Mark’s Hospital are under her clinical direction. ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education is the only agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs in the country.
ECS is a nonprofit charitable organization and one of the largest employers of professional chaplains in the Intermountain West.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense program, established in 1972, that develops and promotes supportive work environments for Service members in the Reserve Components. ESGR promotes cooperation and understanding between these Service members and their civilian employers. It seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the U.S.
For more information about the Service Member Patriot Award, visit https://www.esgr.mil/Employer- Awards/Patriot-Award.