Ashley Regional Medical Center Names 2021 Mercy Award Winner
April 26, 2021
Vernal, UT (April 26, 2021) – Ashley Regional Medical Center recently announced that Justin Watkins, physical therapist, 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 Ashley Regional, 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 Wes Taylor, CEO of Ashley Regional. “We are extremely proud to recognize Justin for his efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. He goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person he encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion.”
Justin Watkins is trusted by his patients. When it comes to patient care, he is an excellent listener who goes above and beyond on a daily basis. Co-workers who have witnessed Justin’s patient care have described him as “very conscientious” and “compassionate” - watching as he has taken extra time in therapy, listened to, consoled and prayed with his patients. His credentials also speak volumes to his dedication to this profession and ability to help patients -- he is a doctor of physical therapy and also become certified in needling. He is one of the few physical therapists that can perform this procedure. One patient shared their story about working with Justin, stating that he is always ready and waiting for their appointment. On a particular day earlier this year, they were working through the physical therapy circuit and the patient could not do the amount of repetitions they would normally do. Justin asked them to sit down, sat beside them, and over a 15 minute time frame took their blood pressure and pulse. When neither dropped, he told them to see a physician that day. This patient followed his recommendation and ended up in the hospital being treated for a few days. The patient shared, “Thank you Justin for being so aware and sensitive to promptings. I truly believe that you having the insight to start the chain reaction of healthcare that day has saved my life.” Outside of caring for physical therapy patients at Ashley Regional, Justin coaches local sports teams and regularly works with local athletes. We thank Justin for his dedication to “Making Communities Healthier.”
Each hospital winner, including Justin, 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 Justin and all hospital winners are invited to attend.