Rosalie Goulbourne (center) is celebrated by her coworkers for becoming Kaweah Health's longest-serving employee. Kaweah Health photo

Kaweah Health last week celebrated the milestone accomplishment of one of its employees.

Rosalie Goulbourne is retiring after 50 years of service — the first employee to reach that mark at the health care system that is itself 61 years old.

Goulbourne is a patient account specialist but started with the hospital as a file clerk in 1973 at age 17. She continued with Kaweah Health after high school and College of the Sequoias. She has also worked as a backup registering patients into the emergency department of Kaweah Health Medical Center as well as the hospital’s telephone switchboard.

Goulbourne said she was intent on actually retiring last year after 49 years of service, but a family member encouraged her to go one more year.

“I’m glad my daughter persuaded me to do it because it feels like a big accomplishment,” Goulbourne said.

She was honored at a special lunch last week and received a certificate of recognition from state Sen. Melissa Hurtado.