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Rita Murphy accepts the Patriot Award from Colonel Michael Halpin USMC Retired.
Lieutenant Commander Michael Jernigan, United States Naval Reserves.
Members of Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center (CVRMC) Administration were recognized recently by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and were presented the Patriot Award. Lieutenant Commander Michael Jernigan, United States Naval Reserves and CVRMC Emergency Department RN, nominated Neal Jensen – CEO, RoseAnn Garcia – CNO, Rita Murphy – HR, and Curtis Beerens – emergency department director for their support of the Guard and Reserve. Of 300 nominations received for the Patriot Award, 10 nominees were recognized for their efforts made to support Guardsmen and Reservists for time off of employment prior to and after deployment and granting leaves of absence if needed.
“Our service men and women deal with a lot of stress. The stress of possibly losing their life; worry about their family while they are deployed; and the anxiety of leaving their jobs and having employment when they return,” stated Lawrence (Butch) Wise, Arizona committee for employer support of the Guard and Reserve. “It is an honor to recognize those employers who alleviate the stress of employment and protect the jobs of these service men and women while they are deployed to protect us.”
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Michael Jernigan has been deployed for active duty to Afghanistan for nine months where he served in a MASH type military hospital in the trauma bay and as a flight nurse. He participated in the Mercy Mission to Viet Nam in 2008, where he was on a hospital ship for 30 plus days assisting in surgical procedures such as cleft pallet repair for children who have no access to medical care. He served in Guam on a naval hospital emergency room for seven months and is currently on deployment in Djibouti, Africa. On several occasions he has traveled away from home for combat readiness training and annual training.
“RoseAnn, Curt, Rita, and I were honored and humbled by this award. Mike is the hero and deserves all accolades,” expressed Neal Jensen, CVRMC CEO. “CVRMC salutes (LCDR) Michael Jernigan and without any question or hesitation it is absolutely right to protect his job while he serves our country.”
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