Congratulations to nurse anesthetists Terri Sluganski and Kirsten Radaker, UPMC Mercy Clinical CRNA Director and Assistant Clinical CRNA Director, respectively, who received the Service Member Patriot Award from ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and the Reserve). The award is given to supervisors for their support of 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. Employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve or the spouse of a Guard or Reserve member can nominate supervisors for the award. Captain Benjamin Adcock, a UPMC Mercy CRNA and Member of the Army Reserve, nominated Kirsten and Terri for the award.
When Captain Adcock was deployed to Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, the UPMC Mercy Anesthesiology department sent a “care package” of food and gifts to his unit, Mission Support Site Jones, in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. They also sent a blessed cross from Mercy that Ben displayed in his unit’s created operating room. Ben flew an American flag in their honor and presented the flag with a plaque to express his appreciation to UPMC Mercy Anesthesiology for their support.