Sovah Health Names 2024 Mercy Award Winners

Sovah Health recently announced the 2024 Mercy Award winners for Sovah Health - Danville and Martinsville campuses. Jacqueline Robinson, at Sovah Health - Danville, and Kathy Craig, at Sovah Health – Martinsville have been recognized as the 2024 Mercy Award winners. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s facilities who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded.

Established in 2001, the Mercy Award is an annual recognition program that honors the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, Lifepoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is considered the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.

“At Sovah Health - Danville, we are committed to advancing Lifepoint’s mission of making communities healthier, and our devoted team members are critical to this work – especially Jacqueline,” said Steve Heatherly, CEO of Sovah Health. “We are so proud to recognize her positive contributions to improving the overall health of our patients, supporting their families, and serving our community. Jacqueline always goes the extra mile to meet any need that may arise and is a true champion of our caring culture at Sovah Health - Danville.”

Known throughout our organization and community only by her shortened first name "Jackie", Ms. Robinson has touched the lives of countless patients, families, and co-workers in her 42 years as a Licensed Practice Nurse (LPN) at Sovah. Jackie has been a constant at Sovah-Danville and is the epitome of consistency and compassion, serving as a mentor and inspiration to all those around her. In addition to her impact on their work, Jackie becomes a mentor to younger nurses regarding how to navigate life, whether it be relationships, raising children or coping with the death of a loved one.

“At Sovah Health – Martinsville, the same commitment to advancing Lifepoint’s mission and the devotion of this team is also critical to the work we do and Kathy Craig displays this each day,” Heatherly said. “Kathy has worked at Sovah Martinsville for 27 years and is currently the manager of several of our subspeciality physician practices.  She is highly skilled and effective at her job, but it is her personal engagement with others and care for staff and patients that make her such a deserving nominee for this award.”

Kathy models Lifepoint’s core values and this is best demonstrated through stories about how she has done so.  If she doesn’t know the answer to your questions she will always find out.  Anytime she sees someone in the building she is always asking if she can help them. 

One of the team members at the Martinsville facility describes a time when her mother was a patient of Sovah after suffering a spinal cord injury.  Throughout the ordeal, Kathy checked in on the family and made regular visits to see the patient once she was discharged to a rehabilitation center, taking treats, and offering encouragement to the patient, family, and those who were caring for her.

Each facility winner, including Jacqueline and Kathy, will be considered for Lifepoint’s 2024 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August.