TUPELO, Miss.—Lisa Vasquez, certified nursing assistant for Inpatient Hospice, recently received North Mississippi Medical Center’s BEE (Beyond Exceptional Expectations) Award.

Vasquez was nominated by the family of a patient who passed away on the unit. “Mrs. Vasquez is truly an example of what a family needs during a very devastating time. Words cannot express how important she was to our family,” the nomination states. “We were truly blessed to have her care for our precious Dad in his final days.”

The family wrote that Vasquez checked on the patient constantly and immediately got the nurse if he showed any sign of discomfort or they had concerns. “She never treated him as just a patient; instead, she treated him, and us, as family,” they wrote. “We were blessed that Mrs. Vasquez was with us when Dad took his final breath. She has a gift of knowing what to do and say. We can’t imagine what we would have done without her. Mrs. Vasquez was our angel on earth, and we will forever be grateful she was with us.”

Vasquez graduated from Grenada High School in 1993. She attended Jackson State University and Itawamba Community College and previously worked in the restaurant business. She trained as a certified nursing assistant through Medical2 Career College and National Certification. She joined the NMMC staff in November 2015 as a certified nursing assistant and also worked as an EKG technician before transferring to Inpatient Hospice in 2017.

Vasquez received a certificate, a BEE Award pin, a bouquet donated by Bishop’s Flower Shop and cupcakes.  The BEE Award is given to a deserving caregiver each month at NMMC. Nomination forms are available throughout NMMC or at www.nmhs.net/bee-award. For more information, call (662) 377-3431 or email BEEAwards@nmhs.net.