Central DuPage Hospital seeks 'unsung hero' nominations

In an age when medical professionals are busy searching for ways to more effectively provide health care, few people are stopping to reflect on what has brought successful hospitals to where they are today, says Dr. Kevin Most.

"Sometimes the foundation of the growth of a hospital is forgotten," he said. "We're always trying to advance ourselves. No one ever says, 'Where were we 15, 10 years ago?'"

That's one reason why a committee responsible for planning Central DuPage Hospital's 50th anniversary celebrations this year decided to honor 50 "unsung heroes" who helped the Winfield-based hospital grow and become a top-ranked facility over the past half century.

Patients, volunteers, workers and community members who have made an impact on the hospital are all eligible to be nominated, said Most, who serves on the committee and works as the vice president of medical affairs for the hospital.

Nominations are being accepted through Aug. 15 at www.cadencehealth.org/CDH50 or www.facebook.com/cadencehealth.

One hero will be recognized each week on the Central DuPage Hospital website, social media and on TV screens in the hospital from September 2014 to September 2015. All the heroes will be honored at the hospital's annual donor dinner in September.

"We thought that this would be a great time to look back and say thanks to the people who helped us get to where we're at," Most said.

Some examples of possible nominees, Most said, include members of the Kiwanis Club whose initial donations helped get the hospital up and running in 1964. Or members of the Cadence Health Auxiliary who have played a role in running the gift shops at the hospital.

Then there's volunteers who have dedicated thousands of hours of their time but were never recognized. Or patients who were the first, 100th or 1,000th babies born at the hospital, which now has more than 3,000 deliveries a year.

And of course, there's plenty of doctors, nurses and other health care providers who have provided extraordinary service over the past five decades.

"What we're really looking for is to spread the word to the community, because there's those stories we've never known about," Most said. "We want the pride in the community to come up and help us share some of those unsung people."