Memorial Medical Center Names 2024 Mercy Award Winner

LAS CRUCES, NM (May 3, 2024) – Memorial Medical Center is proud to announce that Sarah Dueñas has been chosen as the facility’s 2024 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s facilities who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded.

Established in 2001, the Mercy Award is an annual recognition program that honors the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, Lifepoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is considered the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.

Sarah is a Registered Nurse and the Director of Memorial’s Pediatric and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. She is a humble, hard-working mother, nurse, leader, volunteer, and life-long learner. Her interest in nursing started in childhood when she saw her grandmother suffer with chronic health conditions and communication barriers, as English was her second language. Sarah migrated toward pediatrics as she worked on her master’s degree in public health and realized that children are an underserved population. She said she loves the fact that pediatrics has a broad range of needs, as she enjoys the challenge of creating the resources to meet those needs. 

“At Memorial Medical Center, we are committed to advancing Lifepoint’s mission of making communities healthier, and our devoted team members are critical to this work – especially Sarah,” said John Harris, CEO of Memorial Medical Center. “We are so proud to recognize her positive contributions to improving the overall health of our patients and staff, supporting their families, and serving our community. Sarah always goes the extra mile to meet any need that may arise and is a true champion of our caring culture at MMC. She is a true credit to our facility and community.”

As director of the only PICU in the region, Sarah is also responsible for managing Memorial’s Specialty Transport Team, a service available 24/7 to transport pediatric patients from facilities throughout Southern New Mexico to MMC for a higher level of care. She is a strong advocate for patient and nurse safety, stepping in day or night when her nurses need help. She has even driven 45 miles to drive a Transport Team member’s car so he could be with the patient in the ambulance.

Sarah is a very active volunteer and force for good in the community and region. She is on the board of Southern New Mexico Diabetes Outreach. She inspires and mentors nursing students in their pediatric clinical rotations to help them “learn the right things about pediatric care.” Additionally, Sarah speaks to pre-nursing students at NMSU about opportunities, challenges, and the personal fulfillment gained as a nurse from both her hospital and clinic background.

She also attends a multitude of community events, near and far, and plans fun activities for children to do while adults learn about pediatric healthcare services. Twice, she and the PICU have been recognized by Jardin de Los Niños, a local organization for homeless and near homeless children, as a “Champion for Children”. 

Each facility winner, including Sarah, will be considered for Lifepoint’s 2024 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August.