Vanessa King, Director of Pharmacy at CCH, Wins Prestigious Mercy Award

Vanessa King, PharmD, MBA, Director of Pharmacy at Central Carolina Hospital, has been selected as Central Carolina Hospital’s winner of Lifepoint’s prestigious Mercy Award for 2025.

The Mercy Award is named after Scott Mercy, the founding Chairman and first CEO of LifePoint, who died pursuing his passion of learning to fly an airplane. It recognizes those who advance the corporation’s mission and best embrace the humanitarian spirit on which Lifepoint Health was founded.

To be nominated, a person must meet the following criteria:

• Consistently goes beyond the call of duty in serving Lifepoint’s hospitals, patients, providers, employees, and the community
• Demonstrates a level of commitment to giving back in a manner that supports Lifepoint’s culture of caring
• Respects the individual in everything they do
• Inspires others with compassion, dedication, and a merciful spirit
• Exemplifies our core values both personally and professionally.

Dave Santoemma, CEO of CCH, presented the award to Vanessa, surrounded by her Pharmacy Department staff and fellow department directors.

She was nominated for the honor by Sarah Rick, Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management, and Elizabeth “Betsy” Jungkind, BSN, ACM-RN, Director of Case Management.

“Vanessa’s exemplary leadership, commitment to patient safety and ability to creative a positive and empowering work culture significantly enhance the quality of care we provide,” Sarah wrote in her nomination. “Vanessa empowers her team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to take ownership of their responsibilities, fostering an environment where every team member feels valued and heard.”

“I have never had the pleasure of seeing anyone truly ‘serve’ as Vanessa does here at Central Carolina Hospital,” Betsy wrote in her nomination. “She is so enthusiastic and dedicated, not only to her director position, but to her team and colleagues. She loves the opportunity to teach others and never does so in a way that is condescending….

“She is such a strong member of our team,” Betsy wrote. “Many of us look to her for leadership guidance and complex problem solving. She is collaborative and always contributes her perspectives and solution ideas.”

As the local recipient of the Mercy Award, Vanessa will now be considered from the award winners at individual Lifepoint facilities for the company-wide Mercy Award.

Sixty semi-finalists will be invited to attend a special Mercy Award event at Lifepoint corporate headquarters in Nashville, TN, where the overall corporate winner will be announced in August, as the one of more than 50,000 Lifepoint employees who has profoundly touched the lives of others and most embodies the spirit and values upon which the company was founded.