Sheldon, Iowa — The company that runs the hospital in Sheldon and several medical facilities in several area towns has announced that they have been named friendly to the military.
Sanford Health officials say that for the fifth year in a row, the company landed in the top 10 on the 2024 Military Friendly® Employer list and 2024 Military Spouse Friendly Employer list.
They tell us Sanford Health ranked No. 3 as a Top Military Friendly® employer, up from No. 5 in 2023 and No. 4 as a top Military Friendly® Spouse Employer, up from No. 6 in 2023. More than 1,500 organizations competed for the Military Friendly® designation.
Capt. Paul Weckman, head of military and veteran affairs at Sanford Health says that Sanford wants veterans to feel welcome and valued. He says, “That’s why we make it an effort to continue investing in our nation’s heroes to provide them with opportunities where they feel valued and supported and their families should have the same experience, which is why we’ve made the effort to help military spouses find careers in the Sanford family. We don’t support our service members for the recognition. We support them and their families because it’s the right thing to do and it’s the least we can do given the sacrifices they’ve made for us.”
Sanford tells us they offer several programs for military and veteran employees, including continuation of benefits and differential pay for service members during their deployment. This year, Sanford Health expanded their support to active-duty members and their spouses by partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) Skillbridge Program and the Military Spouses Employment Program.
Also, they say that people who disclose they are veterans of the United States uniformed services when applying for a job at Sanford Health are automatically given a screening interview. Military and veteran employees have the option to continue their education and apply for a $5,000 scholarship or receive a $3,000 Veteran Educational Grant to help them do this, according to Sanford officials.
