TUPELO, Mississippi—North Mississippi Medical Center recently presented BEE Awards to Amy Cates, Lori Curry, Jennifer Ray and Tinisha Smith, all of 3 Central.

The four were recognized for assisting the mother of a patient who spent several days on 3 Central. “The staff grew extremely close to him and his family during this time,” wrote Brianna Scott, 3 Central nurse manager, in their nomination. The patient was very sick with multiple issues that required transfer to a Jackson hospital for more specialized care.

The patient was transferred by ambulance, but the mother needed to transport herself. “The parents were already missing a lot of work in order to stay with their son during his illness,” Scott wrote. “The staff got together and gathered up gas money to help the mom be able to drive to Jackson and continue to stay with her son. This small act gave her one less burden to worry about.”

Cates, who lives in Tupelo, is a social worker with the Case Management Department. She has worked on most every unit at NMMC since joining the staff in 1990. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Mississippi in 1989.

Curry has served as a certified nursing assistant, monitor technician and unit coordinator on 3 Central since 2014. A 2001 graduate of Calhoun County High School, she completed her CNA training at Holmes Community College and phlebotomy training at Itawamba Community College. She and her husband, Forlando, have two children—Harmony and Shane.

Ray is a certified nursing assistant, unit coordinator and monitor technician. She lives in the Palmetto community and graduated from Pontotoc High School in 1985. After working as a private sitter for many years, she trained to become a certified nursing assistant at ICC and joined the NMMC staff in 2002.

Smith is a certified nursing assistant who joined NMMC in March 2021. She lives in Aberdeen and worked at Care Center of Aberdeen for seven years before assuming her current role. She previously attended East Mississippi Community College and plans to pursue a degree in nursing.

The BEE Award is given to a deserving caregiver each month at NMMC. For more information, call (662) 377-3431 or email BEEAwards@nmhs.net.