March MVP — Mercedes Williams
| Meet Mercedes Williams, the MVP for March 2024. Mercedes is a care management assistant in UAMS Inpatient Care Management. In the course of her work, she puts into practice the UAMS values of integrity, respect, diversity and health equity, teamwork, creativity, excellence and safety. Please read what one of her nominators wrote about how she does that:
After getting off work, I wanted to visit a friend in the hospital and was lost. I tried navigating my way for 10 minutes unsuccessfully. Nobody was around to help. Finally, Mercedes appeared, and I asked her for directions. She graciously, with a smile on her face and ample patience, immediately took 10 minutes out of her day when she just got off work to walk me to the exact room I needed to go to.
She knew that the patient care area at that time required masks to be worn by all visitors. She pulled out masks in a zip-loc bag to put one on, and when I stated I didn’t have one she gave me one of hers. The maze and route took a while, and I know traffic was bad around 5 pm, but Mercedes was not in a rush to leave me until I reached my destination. When I asked for her name and department, she realized why I might be asking and told me she didn’t mind at all doing me this favor and not to worry about (nominating) her for exceptional customer care (employee care).
I think Mercedes is a stand-out star of UAMS and definitely deserves to be recognized for her integrity of character, respect for someone she didn’t know, respect for the patients on the unit who need visitors to wear masks while providing safety for them and being so kind and considerate.
UAMS will recognize Mercedes in several ways as this month’s MVP. Look for her photo on the Employee Appreciation Wall outside the Chancellor’s Suite in the Central Building. She will receive free parking for a month in any of the parking decks. A Faces of UAMS video will feature her, and we’re giving her some great UAMS swag.
At the chancellor’s next cabinet meeting, Mercedes will receive a certificate and monetary award. In the summer, the university will honor her and other awardees at the annual MVP luncheon.
Do you know someone who should be the next MVP? If you have someone you’d like to nominate, please visit go.uams.edu/mvp/ and fill out the form.
Please congratulate Mercedes for being the university’s MVP of the Month!