SIH Honors Nearly 500 Employees for Years of Commitment
SIH honored 494 employees for their milestone years of service at the 2024 Years of Commitment Ceremony on November 13, 2024. Beginning with five years of working at SIH and extending to 55 years, the Years of Commitment Ceremony celebrates staff dedication to the health and well-being of Southern Illinois. This ceremony also recognizes Employees of the Quarter and Employees of the Year.
"We're here to celebrate our employees," said SIH President and CEO John Antes. "It's a celebration to say thank you to all of them for their committed service for so many years. Working in healthcare is not easy; it's a service industry where people tend to put others in front of themselves. For being committed that long and to do it at one company, you just don't find it that. We really want to celebrate these experienced people who are with us."
Honorees, their plus one, supervisors and administrative leaders gathered at The Pavilion in Marion for a night of celebration. Every honoree, Employees of the Quarter and Employees of the Year received a certificate, pin and gift.
"Our employees that are with us over the years help us be better," said Antes. "Our role as leaders is to help people be accepted, help them be the best they can be. I wouldn't be the leader I am today if I wasn't listening to these employees."
William "Willie" Outlan, retired SIH phlebotomist and lab technician was honored at being invited to the ceremony.
“They could have very easily just said, ‘Oh, well, we’ll mail you your plaque,’" Outlan said. "But when they said, ‘No, we’re going to have you come back to the banquet,’ it was very touching.”
When asked why she chose to stay with SIH for 30 years, SIH Office Coordinator Carol Stone simply said, “It’s because I love my job. I’ve always loved my job. Ever since I started full-time, I’ve loved the people and the loyalty they have to SIH.”
Watch a special video with Stone here.
Many employees were recognized for their years of service:
- 5 years of service – 209 SIH employees
- 10 years of service – 129 SIH employees
- 15 years of service – 60 SIH employees
- 20 years of service – 35 SIH employees
- 25 years of service – 25 SIH employees
- 30 years of service – 15 SIH employees
- 35 years of service – 13 SIH employees
- 40 years of service – 2 SIH employees
- 45 years of service – 4 SIH employees
- 50 years of service – 1 SIH employee
- 55 years of service – 1 SIH employee
Combined, these 494 employees have worked at SIH for a total of 5,863 years. This equals:
- 2,141,461 days
- 17,131,686 St. Louis Cardinals games
- 51,395,058 one-way trips from Murphysboro to Harrisburg
- Listening to “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley 868,648,867.6 times
"A lot of our employees work here because they really believe in what we do for the community," said Antes. "They want there to be strong health care services for their families and to contribute back to the community. Part of how they do that is through their work at SIH."
SIH offers its employees rich opportunities to grow in an environment of excellent patient care. Those interested in applying for available positions can visit sih.net/careers.