Mercy operations in Fort Smith have received special recognition in recent days.
The Mercy Orthopedic Hospital in Fort Smith was recently honored with a GOLD award at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Design in Excellence Awards Gala. Also, Mercy Hospital Fort Smith has been named a 2015/2016 Consumer Choice Award recipient. It’s the twelfth year in a row it’s received the honor.
The regional design award competition covers Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Mercy Orthopedic Hospital Fort Smith opened its doors October 2014. It offers a 10,138 square foot rehabilitation area with a therapy pool, 24 fully-furnished patient rooms designed for comfort of post-surgical patients, eight operating rooms, a pre-operative testing area, chapel, waiting areas for families and a café.
“Mercy takes pride in the exceptional service and quality care we deliver every day, but we also know the patient experience is much more than that,” said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. “When a person comes to one of our facilities for care or to visit someone they love, we want them to know they are in a place of healing, ministry and comfort.”
Many were involved with the design and construction of the hospital, including Mercy Planning, Design & Construction, Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, JE Dunn Construction Co. and Hawkins-Weir Engineers.
Gehrig said the consumer choice award is an honor because it is given by patients.
“This award is special to us because it comes directly from the people we serve - those who have entrusted us with their lives and the lives of their loved ones,” Gehrig said. “From the bedside to every other aspect of our operation, our providers, nurses, co-workers and volunteers go above and beyond to care for our patients. It is such a great honor when those we care about most – our patients – recognize us for that commitment.”
Researchers from National Research Corporation, the largest consumer survey on health care in the U.S., asked area consumers which local hospital they liked best, specifically asking about overall quality, image and reputation, and quality of doctors and nurses.
National Research surveys more than 300,000 households in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Consumer Choice Award.