FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Community Lamplighter Award was given to members of the Sebastian County Emergency Management Team for their important work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award was presented by Mercy Fort Smith leaders during Mercy Week in recognition of the assistance Sebastian County has provided the hospital in testing and vaccinating area residents for COVID-19 over the past year and a half.
Throughout Mercy Week, the organization recognized co-workers demonstrating excellence, service, justice, stewardship and dignity. They also awarded co-workers who have shown to be 'lamplighters' for Mercy and the community.
The Mercy co-workers to receive awards were:
- Traci Snell, Excellence Award.
- Lucinda Eberhard, Service Award.
- Stacie Anhalt, Justice Award.
- Lisa Walthall, Stewardship Award.
- Madison Davis, Dignity Award.
- Dr. Andrew Riché, R. Cole Goodman Physician Lamplighter Award.
- Pat Morris, Co-worker Lamplighter Award.
Sebastian County provided two drive-thru testing sites and a COVID vaccination clinic at Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith. The county also provided a facility where Mercy and Baptist Health teams set up a community call center in March of 2020 and provided on-site assistance every day the aid centers were open.
Those recognized at the ceremony were Sebastian County Judge David Hudson, Emergency Management Director Kendall Beam, Deputy Director Travis Cooper, and Reserve Deputy Zena Chinos.
Jessie Williams, Mercy COVID-19 Clinic Coordinator, says the team was there each day at the call center, test site and vaccine clinic to make sure Mercy had the resources it needed to take care of the community. She also says the call center grew from one room with four people answering questions and scheduling tests but expanded quickly.
“Soon, we realized the community needed even more of us to be available, and we were graciously allowed to take up even more space in the office,” said Williams. “We took up a lot of space, and we were very loud. And yet, we were always made to feel welcome. That feeling was so crucial to our team. And for that, we are and always will be grateful.”
In addition, the Emergency Management Team helped get the call center in touch with the organization to provide food for call center workers, who found it difficult to leave.
“We quickly and efficiently set up inside the tornado shelter and, once again, were made to feel like we were at home,” Williams said. “Because of the generosity of Judge David Hudson and the willingness of the Sebastian County emergency management team, we were able to witness the first ray of hope in a very long time. Our appointments very quickly filled up; it was amazing.”