Illinois Masonic nurse recognized for commitment to others

Throughout history, nurses have been known to be a rare breed — selfless and wholly committed to patients — and this is no different at Advocate Health Care. Because he embodies Advocate Health Care’s core nursing values, Sal (Jonnie) Gerage was recognized as Illinois Masonic's 2018 Advocate Nurse.

Gerage is among 15 award-winning nurses to be recognized by Advocate’s executive leaders in a system-wide celebration at the health system’s Downers Grove headquarters.

“Our 11,000 Advocate nurses work on the front line, serving patients and families at our hospitals, clinics, in the community and in the home,” said Susan Campbell, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, Advocate Health Care. “These particular nurses were chosen by their colleagues to be recognized for their unwavering commitment to delivering safe, quality care in a way that is both compassionate and innovative.”

Gerage is known at Illinois Masonic for his compassion and commitment to maintaining an environment of compassion, safety and healing for patients. In addition to serving as a staff nurse at the hospital’s emergency department, Gerage also serves as a preceptor, a role that enables him to mentor and train new nurses.

Gerage carries his commitment to serving others outside the four walls of Illinois Masonic. He regularly volunteers at various soup kitchens, the Chicago Food Depository, Misericordia, Habitat Humanity and other organizations.

“Sal’s greatest commitment is to the developmentally delayed adult population. He can be seen taking residents out of a very structured environment, such as a group home, and taking them on adventures with the freedom to explore the city,” says Mary Summins, director of the behavioral health and critical decision unit at Illinois Masonic and Gerage’s former supervisor. “His level of compassion coupled with his gregarious personality and love of life facilitates a positive and loving relationship with a population of adults who are often forgotten about.”

“This nurse’s ability to help someone feel comfortable in different environments and have fun is a great gift to those who may not get to have the experiences that we take for granted. The level of altruism is commendable, to be admired and a person to model by all of health care,” Summins adds.

More than 400 nurses from Advocate Health Care’s hospitals, home health care, support center, clinics and medical offices were nominated for this second annual award. Nominations were submitted by physicians and associates, including many non-nursing associates, to recognize Advocate nurses who empower, serve and thrive. These nominations were vetted and presented in blinded format to site-based review committees who scored each according to a metric that took into account each nominee’s passion for patient care, commitment to service, problem-solving abilities and leadership aptitude.

The winners are nurses from a variety of specialties across the patient care continuum who represent diversity in their backgrounds and experiences; some are veteran nurses with more than 30 years of experience while others are relatively new to Advocate or to the nursing profession yet have already made an impact on their patients and colleagues.

Advocate Health Care is the largest employer of nurses in the state of Illinois, employing nearly 11,000 professional nurses across the system’s 12 acute care facilities, more than 250 outpatient locations, home health, hospice, occupational health and corporate services. Nurses represent one-third of Advocate’s workforce. For more information, visit www.theadvocatenurse.com.

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About Advocate Health Care

Advocate Health Care is the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest health care providers in the Midwest. A national leader in population health management, Advocate is one of the largest Accountable Care Organizations in the country. Advocate operates more than 450 sites of care and 12 hospitals, including two of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals, the state’s largest integrated children’s network, five Level I trauma centers (the state’s highest designation in trauma care), three Level II trauma centers, one of the area’s largest home health and hospice companies and one of the region’s largest medical groups. Advocate Health Care trains more primary care physicians and residents at its four teaching hospitals than any other health system in the state. As a not-for-profit, mission-based health system affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ, Advocate contributed $692 million in charitable care and services to communities across Chicagoland and Central Illinois in 2016.