N E W S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2016
Thelma Williams Is First to Mark 50 Years as Saratoga Hospital Employee
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, December 1, 2016—On December 1, Thelma Williams became the first employee to celebrate 50 years of working at Saratoga Hospital, a milestone acknowledged throughout the facility—on banners, buttons and even the cafeteria menu.
[Photo: Thelma Williams on the right, with Marcy Dreimiller, Associate Vice President Human Resources, celebrating Thelma’s 50th year of employment at Saratoga Hospital.]
In the main lobby and outside the Surgical Services Department where Williams works, she was greeted by banners proclaiming “Congratulations, Thelma! 50 Years of Service to Saratoga Hospital.” Those same words are featured, along with Williams’ photo, on hundreds of buttons distributed to co-workers.
The lunch special, Williams’ favorite sandwich—chicken salad with bacon, lettuce and tomato—was renamed “the Thelma,” and she was honored at a breakfast and afternoon reception. A raffle will benefit one of her favorite causes, the hospital’s Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center, where the three-time cancer survivor received treatment.
Although Williams appreciates the celebrations, she also believes they “are not necessary. If I didn’t care about what I do and didn’t love working here, I wouldn’t be here.
“There’s something about this hospital and the way we treat our patients and each other. Everyone here is like a second family to me. I am going to keep working here until I can’t work any longer,” she added.
“Thelma embodies the culture of Saratoga Hospital: the commitment, dedication and compassion that drive every interaction with every patient,” Saratoga Hospital President Angelo Calbone said. “The fact that she has continued to work here for half a century says as much about our hospital as it does about her. In Thelma and Saratoga Hospital, our community has two amazing ‘institutions.’”
Williams grew up in Saratoga Springs and began her Saratoga Hospital career in 1966 at age 30. Her first assignment was as a nurse on a medical-surgical floor, working 3 to 11 p.m. Six months later, she transferred to her dream job as a nurse in the “O.R.,” a position she held for 45 years. These days, she’s a surgical liaison nurse, providing information and support for families while their loved ones are in surgery.
During her tenure, William has seen extraordinary growth at the hospital and in the community. She remembers when the hospital had three O.R.’s, all on the ground floor. Those are long gone, replaced most recently by a multistory Surgical Pavilion that’s home to 10 state-of the-art operating suites.
Williams has kept pace with technological advances and was thrilled to work side-by-side with physicians as they performed robotic surgery. She has been an asset to generations of physicians, many of whom turned out earlier this year to help Williams’ family celebrate her 80th birthday.
Many of her friends and colleagues are long retired, but Williams has no intention of joining them. “I still enjoy what I’m doing,” she said. “Why would I give it up?”
Photo caption: Pictured here is Thelma Williams – on the right – with Marcy Dreimiller, Associate Vice President Human Resources, celebrating Thelma’s 50th year of employment at Saratoga Hospital.
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About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider. The only acute-care facility in Saratoga County, the hospital has a medical staff of more than 450 physicians and other credentialed providers, offering care in a broad range of medical specialties. In keeping with its emphasis on quality, Saratoga Hospital was the first in the Capital Region to earn Magnet Designation for nursing excellence. Hospital facilities include: Saratoga Hospital main campus, Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center, Saratoga Community Health Center, Saratoga Hospital Center for Breast Care, Saratoga Hospital Center for Sleep Disorders, Saratoga Surgery Center, Wilton Medical Arts, practice offices and services at the Saratoga Medical Park at Malta, six primary care offices and five regional therapy centers across Saratoga County. Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, the hospital’s multispecialty physician practice, includes physicians in the following specialties: cardiology, dentistry, endocrinology, ENT, family medicine, hematology/oncology, internal medicine, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, occupational medicine, oncology, pain management, palliative care, physiatry, podiatry, primary care, psychiatry, pulmonary medicine, sleep disorders, surgery, and urology. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Hopper
Director, Marketing and Communications
518.583.8679
phopper@saratogahospital.org