FEDERAL WAY – (May 6, 2016) – Sherry Taylor is more than a registered nurse at the Virginia Mason Federal Way Medical Center. She is a volunteer for an esteemed program that has assisted members of the military since 1941.

Several hours a week, she volunteers at the United Service Organization (USO) center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. There, military members and their families receive travel assistance and enjoy access to the comforts of home 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Each month it serves more than 8,000 service members and their families, reservists and retired military.

“The USO has served military families for 75 years, but my reason for becoming a volunteer is very personal,” said Taylor, an oncology-infusion nurse at Virginia Mason Federal Way Medical Center. “The USO has been so helpful to my son (a U.S. Navy pilot based in Japan) and his family when they have been traveling. Volunteering is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to the USO.

“It is rewarding and fulfilling to support a program that benefits military members when they are far from home and their loved ones.”

National Nurses Week is May 6 through May 12, when businesses, organizations and communities across the United States are encouraged to celebrate nurses. As Taylor exemplifies, the contributions of nurses often extend beyond the walls of hospitals and medical clinics.

Taylor, a registered nurse for about 44 years who has also been a practicing psychologist, understands the commitment to helping others that is foundational to being a successful nurse. “Helping people is in many ways my calling,” she said. “I have the privilege of being there for others during their time of need. I just love people.”

For three-quarters of a century, the USO has worked in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense but relies on private contributions and on funds, goods and services from corporate and individual donors. The USO, which is not a government agency, operates 160 centers worldwide.

The USO Northwest Center at SeaTac Airport features hot food and snacks, five big screen TVs, a bunk room, a theater lounge, showers, free Internet access and a separate family-friendly room. Learn more about the USO-NW SeaTac Center at www.usonw.org/seatac.php

About Virginia Mason Health System Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. In the Puget Sound region, the system includes 336-bed Virginia Mason Hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 500 physicians; regional medical centers in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kirkland, Issaquah and Lynnwood; Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others from around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management methodology for continually improving quality, safety and efficiency. Virginia Mason online: VirginiaMason.org

Virginia Mason also includes Yakima-based Memorial Family of Services and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, a 226-bed facility serving the Yakima Valley in Central Washington since 1950. Memorial Family of Services comprises primary care practices and specialty care services, including high quality cardiac care, a continuum of cancer care, hospice care, and advanced services for children with special health care needs. Memorial online: YakimaMemorial.org

Media Contact:
Gale Robinette
Media Relations Manager
Virginia Mason Health System
(206) 341-1509
gale.robinette@VirginiaMason.org