CHI St. Alexius Health Williston president Garrick Hyde announced that the hospital building that currently houses the Birth Place and Same Day Surgery Center–and the future home of their expanded Emergency Department–will be named The Bronson Building going forward. The change is to honor Deborah Bronson, RN, BSN, CDCES, a registered nurse at CHI St. Alexius Health Williston for more than 30 years. Hyde stated that he and his leadership team extended this honor because Bronson is the embodiment of the five core values of CHI St. Alexius Health: Compassion, Inclusion, Integrity, Excellence and Collaboration.
“Deb is a beautiful human, full of kindness, humility, and gratitude," said Hyde. “She does a tremendous amount of good in our community. Deb is also a wonderful role model and mentor to our nursing staff. I see the way she treats everyone; as a result, I am inspired to be a better person.”
Earlier this year, Bronson was nominated for and won a regional CHI Vision Award in the Compasson category. Then she was chosen as the national winner for the entire health system, encompassing 140 hospitals in 23 states. “One of our core values is Compassion, and now Deb is officially the most compassionate person throughout our massive organization,” explained Hyde.
Bronson not only puts her patients and peers first but has been the mastermind behind the Sugar Bust 5k Run, a CHI event that funds CHI St. Alexius Health Williston’s diabetes education program, ensures all of Bronson’s patients receive a free yearly vision and dental exam and yearly A1C test, and even helps purchase eyewear. Bronson, along with her committee of clinic staff, will host the 3rd annual event Saturday, June 15, 2024.
Hyde surprised Bronson and clinic staff with the honor in an impromptu meeting held to make the announcement. Bronson received a standing ovation from her peers and said she was shocked and honored by the announcement. It was something she most definitely did not expect.
“I am still shocked with this announcement!” said Bronson. “One of my hopes when I began nursing in 1989 was to improve the care and resources available to our rural community. Our region has grown and changed in the past 30 years, but my passion has remained the same. Perhaps it has grown even stronger with life’s challenges. My hope is that I will leave our community better than I found it. I believe I have planted seeds of kindness, empathy, and natural joy in our community. I believe those seeds will be well tended if we continue to take care of one another without judgment. Thank you for this honor and for celebrating humanity.”
Attached: Photo of Bronson in front of The Bronson Building
About CHI St. Alexius Health
CHI St. Alexius Health is a regional health network with a unified mission: nurturing the healing ministry of the Church while creating healthier communities. In 1920 the sisters of mercy came to Williston in hopes of bringing healthcare to the community. 100 years later we are still serving their mission of providing health care through Christ’s healing ministry.
CHI St. Alexius Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is committed to creating healthier communities, delivering exceptional patient care, and ensuring every person has access to quality health care. With its national office in Chicago and a team of approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 142 hospitals and more than 700 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2018, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health had combined revenues of $29.2 billion and provided $4.2 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs.