Staff Report

ROCKFORD – SwedishAmerican Blood Bank Supervisor Judy Coe was presented last week with the Patriot
Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

ESGR officials visited SwedishAmerican to recognize her following the nomination by one of her employees, Candace White. White is a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve who works under Coe as a lab supervisor at SwedishAmerican.

“Judy Coe has embraced me as an employee and service member since she became my supervisor in 2017,” White said. “In the past, with different employers or supervisors, the relationship between by military service and civilian job was toxic, leaving me stressed and torn between the two. But Judy has never made me feel like a burden or inconvenience to the department. She has always displayed the utmost respect for those who have and do serve in the military.”

The Patriot Award honors individual supervisors for supporting service members/family in their department. The award reflects the efforts made to support 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.

“I am so honored to have received such a humbling award,” Coe said.

SwedishAmerican is a division UW Health. R.