Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home recently received a certificate from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in recognition of being nominated for the national Freedom Award.

Tuesday afternoon, ESGR representative Philip Muller came to the PRCHNH Board of Trustees meeting to present the certificate. He said the Freedom Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the nation that an employer can receive. While PRCHNH did not receive the award itself, Muller said ESGR wanted to recognize the hospital for being nominated.

CEO/Administrator James Williams is a Captain in the Army National Guard and was deployed last spring, PRCHNH’s Chief Operating Officer Tommie Staten said. Because of everything PRCHNH did to ensure Williams had a job to come back to, he nominated the hospital for the Freedom Award.

Staten said that the hospital does everything it can to help enlisted men and women. One way it does this is by ensuring a position is available for deployed employees when they return home, she said. Staten said PRCHNH currently has two employees in the National Guard besides Williams. One is deployed and the other is currently serving as the director of administration.

The Freedom Award is, “the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve,” the ESGR website states.

Muller said the hospital was nominated again and will be considered for the award next year. If PRCHNH receives the Freedom Award next year, representatives will be presented with the award in the Pentagon in Washington, DC by either the Secretary of Defense or Deputy Secretary of Defense.

“We try to take care of our service people. We feel like they deserve it. I’m surprised there’s even an award for doing what’s right,” Chairman of the Board of Trustees Lucian Roberson said.