HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital names Father Klimek Healing Presence Award recipient

Eau Claire, Wis. – HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital has named Colin Streif as the recipient of the 2023 Father Klimek Healing Presence Award. The award, which is the highest honor a colleague can receive at the hospital, was presented May 11, 2023. 

Colin is an environmental services colleague (EVS); a highly trained support staff member who works to clean and disinfect medical equipment, patient rooms, common areas and the hospital as a whole. He has been a dedicated colleague for 18 years.

In a peer nomination letter, a colleague writes, “Colin primarily works the evening shift and often on weekends, so sometimes his efforts go unnoticed, and many do not even know him. But, Colin is a key part of the EVS team and there would be a huge gap without his presence. He is a true team player and a quiet servant leader – positive in his outlook and committed to our mission of service to others.”

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital President and CEO, John Wagner, says the EVS team plays a critical role in the hospital setting. “During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic we were reminded how vital these team members are, and Colin showcased the importance of his work by picking up extra shifts, working quickly and efficiently and kept a positive outlook.”

Monsignor Edmund Klimek, whom the award is named after, passed away in 2013 after serving as the HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital chaplain for more than 45 years. Among his many accolades in the community and hospital, Monsignor Klimek established the pastoral care department at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in 1972. He was also the first hospital chaplain to receive the Catholic Health Association’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2013. 

The Father Klimek Healing Presence Award was established in 2000 to recognize and carry on Monsignor Klimek’s profound contribution to the Hospital Sisters’ mission and his compassionate love of Christ.  
 

About HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the Founding Institute, and it is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System. Since 1889, it has been meeting patient needs in western Wisconsin with the latest medical innovations and technology, together with a Franciscan whole-person healing tradition.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states - Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.