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Faust recognized for 50 years of service

Sharon Faust receives recognition award for 50 years of service from BAHC Board President Mark Randall.

Boscobel Area Health Care's Board of Directors recognized Sharon Faust at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, January 27th.

Faust was recognized for her outstanding employment record. Faust will celebrate her 50th year at Boscobel Area Health Care in June of 2009.

"This has been my life. There have been very few days in the past 50 years when I would rather stay home than come to work. It never occurred to me to work anywhere else," said Faust.

Faust began at BAHC two weeks out of high school. Her first job was to hand out visitor cards. "Back then, there was a very strict visitor policy. Each room could only have four visitors at a time, and times were restricted," said Faust.

Faust currently works as the Business Office Manager. In her 50 years, she has seen many changes in health care.

"Everything in the business office was done manually then with a typewriter. You would go get the chart, type up all of the medications and supplies, and the bill would be ready by the time the patient went home," said Faust. "Insurance companies have changed all of that," she added.

While Faust has witnessed changes in technology, insurance, and the business of health care, she has also lived through major changes dealing with women in the workplace. "Maternity leave did not exist early in my career. Pregnancy was not considered an illness, so you had to use vacation time," said Faust.

Faust had two weeks off when her first child was born, and spent much of it in the hospital. Today it is the exact opposite; women don't stay in the hospital as long, but have more time off work, she observed.

Faust says shorter hospital stays has resulted in the hospital adding preventative and rehabilitation services. "When I had my children, the nurses did a lot of the education while I was in the hospital. Today, with shorter hospital stays, you see more classes and community programs offered to provide that education."

Also recognized at the annual meeting were the 2008 officers for the Partners of Boscobel Area Health Care, a volunteer group that supports the hospital and nursing home. 2008 officers recognized were President Patsy Pippin, Treasurer June Martin, and Secretary Charlotte Nelson.