Northwest Community Healthcare celebrates 60 years of service

Employees sang Happy Birthday to Northwest Community Healthcare, posed for group photos and enjoyed cake on the front lawn of the hospital campus in late August to mark 60 years of caring for the community.

NCH started with an 110-bed hospital building and has grown to an integrated system of care with 509 beds, a retail pharmacy, behavioral health center, Wellness Center, 23 doctor's offices, five immediate care centers, seven physical rehabilitation sites and 13 lab locations. It is proud to remain an independent, not-for-profit organization.

"Sixty years ago, NCH was conceived by visionary people who believed that the members of the surrounding communities should have a hospital that provided the same advanced level of care that was offered at hospitals in downtown Chicago," says President and CEO Stephen Scogna.

To celebrate, Scogna met and shook hands with hundreds of clinical and support staff as animal-assisted therapy dogs greeted employees. Employees received an NCH long-sleeved shirt as a thank you for their service to the organization.

Administrative Assistant Donna Laemont helped distribute the shirts to employees at the NCH Shared Services Center, where NCH's support staff works.

"All of us singing Happy Birthday and taking the group picture out in front of our building was so nice," Laemont says, adding that "giving out the shirts gave me a chance to see everyone and their reaction."

Laemont thanks NCH for the lifelong friends she's made during 11 years of supporting the NCH Foundation.

"I love how our hospital helps our community in so many different ways, and the people I work with are amazing."

On Sept. 21, NCH will mark its milestone at the NCH Foundation's 60th Anniversary Gala at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. Learn more at nch.org/gala.