Atlantic, IA— Cass Health Registered Nurse Austin Larson presented the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award to his leadership team this summer. Larson specifically recognized Inpatient Services Nurse Manager Danielle Powers, RN for her support and also recognized the entire leadership team as playing a role in his continued success navigating both full-time employment and his service in the Guard.

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 nomination 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. Patriot Awards are issued through the Department of Defense and are presented to recipients by ESGR volunteers.

Bottom row, left to right: Austin Larson, RN; Danielle Powers, RN; Becky Coady, Iowa ESGR. Top row: Ali McVey, RN; Sara Beth Jones, RN; Brett Altman, CEO; Amanda Bireline, COO.

Larson joined the National Guard on July 2, 2015, and currently serves as a Staff Sergeant (E-6) in B-Company 1-168 Infantry. “My duties within the National Guard have constantly conflicted with my weekends to work, which leaves the hospital’s inpatient unit with short staffing. It also conflicts with my ability to meet full-time hours throughout the year since I work night shift and require the day before drills off as well. My manager has never once displayed any frustration with these conflicts and has always worked with me when errors in scheduling occur to ensure that I am off for drills with no complaints or negative comments. Even when I had just started at Cass Health and had to leave for a few weeks to complete my Advanced Leader Course,” said Larson.

Becky Coady, Iowa ESGR state chair commented, “Supportive employers like Cass Health are vital to the success of our mission and the defense of this nation. Our Guard and Reserve members could not perform their military duty without knowing their civilian employers support them 100 percent.”

ESGR, an office of the Department of Defense, 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 United States. ESGR operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Nearly 100 Iowa Committee volunteers across the state serve members of the Iowa Army and Iowa Air National Guard, the Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, and Army Reserve, as well as their families and their civilian employers.