By Eric Woods
Photo by Terry Farmer
Springfield Clinic, a staple in the community, just celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2019. The clinic was founded in 1939 by five physician partners in Springfield and is constantly growing and evolving. Not only are its physicians working to find new, innovative ways to better provide care for patients, but the leadership team is also consistently looking for ways to care for employees and make working there a positive experience.
Born and raised in Springfield, Liz Armbrecht recognizes Springfield Clinic as one of the institutions that locals cannot help but hear about around town. “Now that I’ve joined the Springfield Clinic team, I have realized that although Springfield Clinic can boast longevity, it didn’t get to be nearly 100 years old because it kept doing things the same old way,” she said. “Since I started with Springfield Clinic, I’ve witnessed leadership teams brainstorm, design and implement new ways to care for employees, just as our doctors are innovating new and better ways to provide care to our patients. That desire to not rest on their laurels but to keep figuring out ways to do things bigger, better or more efficiently is one of the reasons I love Springfield Clinic.”
“The reason why Springfield Clinic is the best place to work is that it is full of wonderful people who make going to work fun, a leadership team that cares about their employees’ well-being and a culture of giving, working hard and making improvements every day to patient care, employee jobs and the organization in general,” added Armbrecht.
Ashley Caldwell, communications manager, feels that the driving force of Springfield Clinic is its people. “I truly believe that the best part of Springfield Clinic is the people who work here and this is not only something I feel personally but a refrain I hear all around the organization. My coworkers really care about one another, and we have fun together at work as well as outside of work,” she said. “In my position, I often get to talk to employees and providers about why they love working at Springfield Clinic. The number one answer I get is ‘the people,’ and I wholeheartedly agree. At Springfield Clinic, I’ve found a group of people who are like family - they are supportive, caring and go the extra mile for their teammates.”
Armbrecht also noted the drive the team has to lend a hand to local communities. “Springfield Clinic has been running a giving program for five years now that supports local charitable organizations, not just in Springfield, but in any community for which Springfield Clinic provides care,” said Armbrecht. “Plus, Springfield Clinic has recently made efforts to strengthen their commitment to caring for the community through additional service events, and I have loved participating in all of those. It is a wonderful feeling to be a part of giving back.”
Last year was an exciting one at Springfield Clinic, according to Caldwell. “We welcomed several new leaders in key roles in the organization who brought years of valuable experience and fresh ideas to the team,” she said. “Throughout 2019, nearly 30 physicians and 30 advanced practitioners came on board, allowing us to provide care for even more patients in the central Illinois region.”
The physicians, advanced practice providers, leadership and staff of Springfield Clinic are proud to serve the people of central Illinois as a community of caring. As the clinic moves into the future, it plans to continue growing as a leader in health care in the area and to live and work by Springfield Clinic’s key principles: Improve health, provide value and serve community.
