Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care honored at Association’s 2016 Spring Convention

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care's Mercy for Haiti team members while on a mission trip to Haiti.

PRESS RELEASE: 
ORLANDO, Fla., April 20, 2016 – The Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) announced today at its 2016 Spring Convention that Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care – a not-for-profit urgent care organization based in Asheville, N.C. – has won the second annual UCAOA Humanitarian Award for the staff’s dedicated philanthropy work. The award was presented at last night’s inaugural Bright Stars of Urgent Care: Past, Present & Future, a Foundation Celebration event.

The Humanitarian Award recognizes substantial volunteer contributions that are medically-related and have a positive impact on a national or international cause.

“Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care is a stellar representation of our industry with its incredible international charitable efforts over the past year – truly making the world a better, healthier place in the areas that need it most,” said P. Joanne Ray, chief executive officer of UCAOA. “We are honored to award Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care our second annual Humanitarian Award.”

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care’s (SOMUC) Mercy for Haiti project began in 2010 following the deadly 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 316,000 and injured more than 300,000 additional people on the island nation. SOMUC’s Team Mercy made it their mission to provide health care to the people of Haiti, sending medical supplies and teams of volunteers to treat those affected by the earthquake.

The project initially provided medical care to those critically injured in the earthquake, but Team Mercy continued to work with the same physicians for six years, going back with teams four times each year to provide treatment for prevalent illnesses, many of which are caused by malnutrition and poor living conditions. This May, Team Mercy will make their fourteenth trip to Haiti, working alongside their Haitian colleagues to treat approximately 1,000 patients over a five day period.

“The staff of Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care is honored to receive the 2016 Urgent Care Association of America Humanitarian Award for our mission work,” said Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Medical Director Ellen Lawson, M.D. “When the devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, we felt the call to serve as emergency disaster relief because we could be the hearts, hands and feet of mercy on the ground in Haiti.”

In addition to the Mercy for Haiti project, each year SOMUC provides more than $500,000 in charitable and uncompensated medical care to their local communities in North Carolina.

“Pope Francis has declared this year as the Jubilee Year of Mercy, so the timing of this award has special meaning for us,” said Dr. Lawson.

Since 2010, Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care has completed 14 missions – 13 to Haiti and one to the Philippines – providing medical care, supplies and food for those in need.

More information about the UCAOA Awards at the Spring Convention can be found here: http://www.ucaoa.org/?Awards
About the Urgent Care Association of America
The Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) is a membership association for urgent care health and management professionals, clinics and those who support the urgent care industry. UCAOA provides educational programs in clinical care and practice management, has a monthly Journal of Urgent Care Medicine and maintains an active online presence and member community for daily exchange of best practices. UCAOA provides leadership, education and resources for the successful practice of urgent care for its members. For more information visit www.ucaoa.org.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.

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