Diane Bongiovanni, director of patient care at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, was presented with a Patriot Award in recognition of the extraordinary support she gives her employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve by Jean Hulet, state chair of the Maryland Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Bongiovanni was nominated by Army Reserve CPT(P) Troy Modisette, a Sinai Hospital inpatient psychiatry manager. More than 25 Sinai staff members attended the presentation ceremony held at the hospital.

“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said Hulet. “Supportive employers like Ms. Bongiovanni are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units. Our National Guard and Reserve members could not perform their military duty without knowing their civilian employers are behind them 100 percent.”

“Dianne Bongiovanni has been very supportive of my military endeavors and recognizes their value not only to myself but to Sinai Hospital as well,” said Modisette. “She allows me to change my schedule on very short notice whenever necessary to support the needs of my unit, our soldiers and my own military professional development. She always recognizes my military contributions in a public forum. Her ongoing support is extremely valuable and allows me to fulfill my military duty with pride and comfort knowing that my supervisor fully supports me when I am serving with the Army Reserve in the defense of our nation.”

ESGR, a Department of Defense program, seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States.