40 years and going strong

After 40 years working at the hospital, Lorale Johnson said she has no plans to retire soon.

"Who wants to go home and just sit?" she said.

Johnson was honored last week for her four decades of work in the facility that is now called Coulee Medical Center, with co-workers describing her on a bulletin board full of cards with words such as "Never Ending Dedication!," "energy", "blessing," and "joyfully."

Johnson has seen a lot of changes in the healthcare industry over the years and in her own area of expertise as a housekeeper. They had a meeting last week just to talk about changing gloves frequently, she said.

"When I started we didn't even use gloves," she said, and trash that was once discarded in paper sacks from Safeway now goes into biohazard boxes.

Johnson, who grew up in Coulee Dam, moved to Leavenworth for work once, but moved back to the area and hasn't slowed down since, despite even suffering a mild stroke five years ago.

"I ... never missed a day of work," she said.