SHELTON, WA – For more than 50 years, Mason Health Registration Specialist Peggy Johnson has been a hard-working and compassionate member of Mason County’s health care community. Known at Mason Health for her loving spirit and compassion, Johnson has helped brighten patients’ days for the past year greeting and registering them as they walk through the door. Prior to that, Johnson worked in the Health Information Management (Medical Records) Department, though she has an even longer history in Shelton. Her positivity and bright attitude have led her coworkers to name her the September 2022 Employee of the Month.

Johnson moved to Shelton with her parents when she was 17, from Oregon. She started her career at what was then known as Fir Lane Terrace Convalescent Center as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). She worked at Fir Lane for 30 years, eventually becoming a CNA trainer — she even trained several of the certified nursing assistants who would go on to work in Mason General Hospital’s Medical-Surgical-Pediatrics Unit. She raised four children in Shelton, but during her fourth pregnancy, she decided she needed to look at different career paths.

“I love patient care, but it is hard on your body and your mind,” she said. “I was happy to get into something different and try out medical records.”

Johnson went on to work for the next 10 years in Olympic Physicians, owned by Dr. Mark Schlauderaff, MD, and Pamela Schlauderaff, before the clinic joined Mason Health’s organization (Pam Schlauderaff is now Mason Health’s Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Regulatory Compliance, while Dr. Schlauderaff serves patients in Mason Clinic – Primary Care). There, Johnson worked in medical records and legal.

“The Schlauderaffs are absolutely wonderful people,” Johnson said. “Yet, it was always my dream to get over to Mason General Hospital. I finally saw a medical records job opening in the Sunday paper while I was at Cushman. I thought that is the job for me.”

In 2008, Johnson joined the Health Information Management team at Mason Health — “I’m sure all of Shelton heard me holler and whoop when I got that job,” she said. She enjoyed her new work family and went on to work at HIM for the next 13 years.

About a year ago, Johnson felt like it was time for a change. She tried working in the Business Office — “It was a great experience, but I am not a numbers person,” she said — but the best fit for her was in Registration. “I came over here and made a whole new group of friends,” she said. “I am so happy to be back inside the hospital.”

Johnson enjoys spending time on Phillips Lake with her husband, Jeffrey Johnson. They love to go boating and enjoy classic cars — they recently purchased a 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria. She also loves to spend time with her children and 11 grandchildren, including a new baby granddaughter born unexpectedly at Mason General Hospital in August.

“I cannot thank the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and the whole team, including Dr. Andrea Martin, MD, and Dr. Benjamin May, DO, more for what they did for my granddaughter, Bella,” said Johnson, who also gave birth to two of her children at Mason General Hospital, years ago.

“I love working here, and I feel truly special and part of a united team,” she said.

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is ISO 9001 Quality Management System certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. Mason General Hospital and Mason Clinic are ENERGY STAR® certified and Mason Health is the recipient of Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Environmental Excellence Awards. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.masongeneral.com. To learn more about DNV, visit www.dnv.com/healthcare.

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