ARRMC scheduler earns Patriotic Employer Award

There are many ways to serve your country. One is to enlist in the Oregon Army National Guard, as nurse Melissa Candy did. Another is to make it easier for that soldier to keep her job while also serving her country.

That is what Lee Ann Birdinground does for Candy, earning her the coveted Patriotic Employer Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense organization that promotes cooperation between service members and civilian employers.

Candy has served in the National Guard for 24 years and has worked in ARRMC’s Heart Center for six years. During that time she never knew when she might be called to service, sometimes with just hours’ notice. When the Almeda fire struck last September, Candy had to leave her job mid-shift. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she split her time between her work at ARRMC and delivering supplies from the state to local hospitals.

Through it all, Birdinground, a scheduling specialist at ARRMC since 2014, has gone out of her way to move schedules and ensure even the hard-to-fill charge nurse shifts are covered so that Candy can perform her duties.

“Lee Ann is constantly dealing with the various schedule changes or drill weekends, training, schools and state activations,” Candy said. “When state activation happens we are given anywhere from 0 to 48 hours to report to our post. Lee Ann never complains and rearranges my schedule to ensure I can still support the community while keeping my position and hours.”

Likewise, when Candy is released from military duty, Birdinground makes sure she’s back on the schedule and back on the job.

“Lee Ann plays the biggest role in my success,” Candy said. “It was great to present [this award] to someone who works behind the scenes.”