Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Pulaski recently announced that Jessica Smith has been recognized as the hospital’s 2021 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded. The Mercy Award is an annual recognition program established in 2002 to honor 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 STRHS Pulaski, we share LifePoint’s commitment to making communities healthier, and we recognize this is supported by the good work and service of our employees on and off the job,” said Jim Edmondson, hospital CEO. “We are extremely proud to recognize Jessica for her efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. She goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person she encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion.” Jessica received several nominations, and all talked about what a great respiratory therapist she is, her consistent positive attitude, the numerous kind and compassionate gestures she does for her patients, and not to mention the amazing things she did for patients during the pandemic. Jessica is a wife, mother to a son with autism, and is caregiver of her mother. Needless to say a very deserving Mercy Award recipient. Each hospital winner, including Jessica, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2021 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August, to which Jessica and all hospital winners are invited to attend.