Self Regional Healthcare One of 20 Organizations Worldwide to Bring Home Workplace Award f...( GREENWOOD S.C. May 27 /- Ken Shie...),Health

GREENWOOD, S.C., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Ken Shields owned his own company for 16 years before joining the staff of Self Regional Healthcare six years ago.

A supervisor in the Greenwood hospital's food and nutrition area, Shields readily admits that given the choice of working for himself or Self Regional, he'd pick the latter.

"I've worked in a lot of places and even had my own business," he said. "It did quite well, but it did not come close to offering the service and care to employees that I've found at Self."

"The manner in which Self takes care of its employees is just amazing," noted Shields, a native of the Bay Area of California. "I am equally impressed with our service excellence program in which we strive for the very best quality, not only for our patients, but also for our work force."

Shields' sentiments are not lost on the internationally recognized Gallup Organization, which has recognized Self Regional as one of the top 20 workplaces in the world. M. John Heydel, President and CEO, along with Fred Latham, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, were in Omaha, Neb., May 13-15 to accept the award, which is based on employee engagement results that place the hospital's workforce among the most productive and engaged across the globe.

Heydel said the fact that Self was only one of four hospitals and among only 20 organizations worldwide to earn the honor was almost impossible to comprehend, especially when considering that more than five million workers in more than 120 countries were eligible. Yet, he believes he understands why and how Self Regional earned the Gallup Award.

"For well over two years now, Self Regional has made a focused effort to strive for excellence in everything we do," he said. "We make it a point to aim for quality in all aspects of our efforts at the hospital. Whether that be rounding with patients to make sure we are meeting their needs, helping visitors find their wa
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