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Being among the best places to work in the nation doesn’t come easy. How do you make employees feel valued and provide an atmosphere where everyone – from the environmental staff to the President – feels special?

Some companies provide corporate bonuses and other perks, but few go to the lengths of NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital – erecting what amounts to a monument to their most valued employees each year. It’s one of the reasons that the Hospital has been cited - by Press Ganey and Westchester Magazine - as one of the top places to work in Westchester, and the nation, alongside corporate giants like MasterCard, New York Life and Morgan Stanley.

On Oct. 14 at 11 a.m., NewYork-Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital unveiled its Wall of Heroes at a ceremony in the lobby of the Hospital at 1980 Crompond Road, Cortlandt Manor. This year, 11 employees from nine departments were honored. Employees live in Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties.

Each month the Hospital recognizes an employee who has been nominated by co-workers. At the end of the year that employee is honored at the Heroes Ceremony and their portrait hung on the wall along the front corridor of the Hospital, where it remains for the year.

"It's really a very impressive sight, and the ceremony is very moving," said Hudson Valley Hospital President John C. Federspiel. "When you walk down the corridor and see these 3-foot high portraits on the wall, it really makes a statement about how we feel about our employees. It's something they and their families can be proud of, not just for one day, but for the entire year. That benefits everyone: the employees, the patients and the community."

Susan Sheehy, captain of the reward and recognition team, has worked on the Heroes project for past four years. She says she looks forward to preparing for the event, writing the bios of each employee and arranging for professional portraits to be taken of each.

"Over the years I have learned so much about the special people I work with at the Hospital," said Sheehy. "When everyone crowds into the lobby and down the hallways for the ceremony, it's better than a ticker-tape parade."

Honored this year were:

Thomas "Gene” Holcombe – Environmental Services (Peekskill)
Salvatore DiMaio – Engineering (Peekskill)
Herath "Mara" Marapana – Food & Nutrition (Peekskill)
Linda Moroney – Volunteer Services (Buchanan)
Barbara Katona – Human Resources (Stormville)
Katie Haun – Methadone Clinic (Hopewell Junction)
Maria Diesta-Acbo – ICU (Wappingers Falls)
Nancy Nastri – Environmental Services (Putnam Valley)
Justin Batts – MIS (Peekskill)
Eileen Clark – OR (Cortlandt Manor)
Lori Aversa – PCU (Verplank)