TUPELO, Mississippi—North Mississippi Medical Center recently presented DAISY Awards to Jeremy Murphree and Larrah Wilbanks and a BEE Award to Jennifer Ray, all of 3 Central.

The trio was nominated by a friend of a former patient on 3 Central, the Pulmonary Stepdown Unit. The patient spent more than a month at NMMC before passing away at Sanctuary Hospice House. “It was so incredible that folks from NMMC were so compassionate and generous with their time that they would visit a former patient,” the friend wrote. “The crew appeared promptly at 2:00, bearing gifts. I had assumed they were stopping by on their way into work but I was mistaken. All three of them came by on their off days, impressing me even more.”

Murphree, who lives in Houston, is a registered nurse who joined the 3 Central staff in 2021 after completing a nursing externship and internship on the unit. After 15 years in the furniture industry and doing construction work, he completed an associate degree in nursing from Itawamba Community College in 2021.

Wilbanks is a charge nurse who joined the NMMC staff in 2018. A graduate of Saltillo High School, she earned her associate degree in nursing from ICC in 2018 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mississippi University for Women in 2020. She now resides in Pontotoc.

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.

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day. Nomination forms are available throughout NMMC or at www.nmhs.net/daisy-award. For more information, call (662) 377-3431 or email daisyawards@nmhs.net.

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.