Willamette Valley Medical Center Names 2021 Mercy Award Winner

Willamette Valley Medical Center (WVMC) recently announced that Michael Bone has been recognized as the hospital’s 2021 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded.

The Mercy Award is an annual recognition program established in 2002 to honor 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.

“At WVMC, we share LifePoint’s commitment to making communities healthier, and we recognize this is supported by the good work and service of our employees on and off the job,” said Lori Bergen, CEO of WVMC. “We are extremely proud to recognize Michael Bone for his efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. He goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person he encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion.”

Michael, Physician Services Manager for McMinnville Internal Medicine and McMinnville Surgical Associates, has been a member of the WVMC team for over six years. He has served as a steady, focused, and selfless voice invested not only in the quality of care patients deserve but in the progressive culture of his team.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 fight — and in a true test of his abilities — Michael was tasked with implementing telehealth services for eight physicians and their combined 4,500 patients. He created training for staff, providers and patients, organized community education events and published editorial opinion pieces promoting telehealth in the local newspaper. He also developed a process for proactively reaching out to patients to set up and test their telehealth system before their appointments. Michael also worked tirelessly to organize community COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

In the words of one nominator, “Michael has an unparalleled work ethic and willingly steps in to help at the front desk of the clinic or changes into scrubs to help out with patient care. He has demonstrated superb leadership, masterful organizational skills, and a knack for navigating through a stressful time with humor, grace, and compassion."

In essence, Michael has helped shape the care our community receives through his service to others. Michael is warmhearted, determined, and inspiring – the kind of person who makes all the difference in the world without expecting anything in return. He is someone who exemplifies the best of our organization.

Each hospital winner, including Michael, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2021 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August, to which Michael and all hospital winners are invited to attend.