Public service workers make everyday tasks possible for all

Public Service Recognition Week (May 1-7) takes place annually the first week of May. Although the concept of public service was first introduced in the U.S. Constitution, this year marks 37 years of honoring public servants since President Ronald Reagan introduced it in 1985.

The purpose of celebrating Public Service Recognition Week is to honor the people who work in public service, which includes the employees who make everyday tasks possible for all of us.

From basic transportation services to the roads and pavements we travel on, from health and human services and medical research to space and ocean exploration, from military leaders, police officers, postal workers and park rangers to teachers, therapists, food inspectors and coin artists, public service encompasses an array of local, state and federal government agencies. During Public Service Recognition Week, we salute the people employed in the public sector and recognize their commitment and dedication.

People often forget that public service employees have been making history in countless ways, from sending a man to the moon to first responders rushing to emergencies and disasters. The pandemic opened the curtain to show how an otherwise invisible army of federal, state and local employees work collectively for the greater good. Public servants routinely perform jobs too numerous to list and demonstrate how our government works by and for the people.

At the VA Maryland Health Care System, I am grateful to witness firsthand the remarkable contributions and achievements of our more than 3,000 public service employees. Hard work, integrity and dedication have allowed us to expand our care options by embracing an array of new technological resources that we also provide to many of our veteran patients to minimize the technology gap for vulnerable populations. Our researchers have made strides in the treatment of chronic pain and stroke and are studying the impact of the pandemic on new cancer diagnosis nationwide, among many other accomplishments.

Our Facilities & Engineering Service has been recognized for two consecutive years for its preservation and care of the trees at the Perry Point VA Medical Center.

Public service employees like ours routinely find innovative solutions to complex issues as we work to fulfill our mission of serving veterans, whose commitment to public service often put them in harm’s way. At the VA Maryland Health Care System, public service translates into providing safe, quality and compassionate care to our Nation’s Veterans.

— Jonathan R. Eckman

The writer is director of the VA Maryland Health Care System.