Brentwood, Tennessee (September 5, 2024) – Lifepoint Health®, a diversified healthcare delivery network dedicated to making communities healthier, has named Cherish Strunk from Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital (LCRH) in Somerset, Kentucky the recipient of its 2024 companywide Mercy Award. Strunk, who serves as a surgical technician at LCRH, was honored for the heartfelt compassion she shows to patients and colleagues, and her willingness to do anything she can – and give anything she has – to help someone else.
Lifepoint’s companywide Mercy Award is given annually to one of nearly 55,000 Lifepoint employees who has profoundly touched the lives of others and embodies the spirit and values upon which the company was founded. It was established in 2001 to honor the life and legacy of the late Scott Mercy, Lifepoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), and is the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.
“Cherish’s passion for going above and beyond to serve others is truly inspiring,” said David Dill, chairman and CEO of Lifepoint Health. “Her warmth, kindness and generosity make her an exceptional representative of Scott Mercy’s legacy and a more than deserving recipient of this distinguished honor.”
Since joining LCRH, Strunk has quickly become a valuable asset to the hospital team, earning the trust, respect and admiration of her colleagues by demonstrating complete selflessness. For example, she spent her spring break this year donating one of her kidneys to save the life of a complete stranger in the community. Through Facebook, she learned about a local retired coal miner who had been living with diabetes most of his life and was in need of a kidney transplant. Though she didn’t know him personally, she felt a strong desire to help. After getting tested, she was deemed a good match and underwent surgery to donate a vital organ to someone who simply needed it more.
“Acting with kindness is what Cherish is known for, and I can’t think of a better example of this than her willingness to donate a kidney and give someone a second chance at life,” said Carolyn Sparks, CEO of LCRH. “It makes me proud to have someone on our team who is so selfless and willing to give back, and I am thrilled for her to receive this well-deserved honor.”
Strunk was formally recognized during a special awards celebration in Nashville on August 28.
About Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital
LCRH is a 295-bed acute care facility serving the citizens of South Central Kentucky. With 38 medical specialties and more than 170 physicians on staff, LCRH offers the most comprehensive medical services in the region. A modern, state-of-the-art facility, the hospital offers cardiac care and an advanced neurosurgery program with Spine Center accreditation. The hospital also has a complete clinical laboratory, 24-hour ER, intensive care units, surgical services (including orthopedic and urological), and diagnostic imaging. Other specialty services include women’s and children’s services, a Level II neonatal nursery, cardiopulmonary services, behavioral health unit, and inpatient rehabilitation. For more information, visit www.lakecumberlandhospital.com.
About Lifepoint Health
Lifepoint Health is a leading healthcare provider that serves patients, clinicians, communities, and partner organizations across the healthcare continuum. Driven by a mission of making communities healthier®, the company has a growing diversified healthcare delivery network comprised of nearly 55,000 dedicated employees, 60 community hospital campuses, more than 60 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals and 250 additional sites of care, including managed acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. Through its innovation strategy, Lifepoint Forward, the company is developing meaningful solutions to enhance quality, increase access to care, and improve value across the Lifepoint footprint and communities across the country. For more information about the company, visit www.LifepointHealth.net.
