PONTOTOC, Mississippi—North Mississippi Medical Center-Pontotoc recently named patient access specialist Van E. Ross as the Star of the Quarter.

Ross joined the NMMC-Pontotoc Business Services in 2019 and works in the Emergency Services Department. Her colleagues applauded Ross for her acts of compassion and care that extend beyond expectations.

She looks for ways to help patients, their family members and teammates, her teammates say. Ross has shared her lunch with a homeless visitor and helped an NMHS teammate track down training classes.

One evening, Ross returned to the Emergency Services Department after work out of concern an elderly gentleman who was looking for a family member. She helped guide him to the unaffiliated nursing home where his family member is a resident and made sure he connected with the nursing home staff.

 “Thank you, Van, for going above and way beyond what is expected of you,” a colleague wrote. “You truly are an asset to our hospital and community.”

She is a graduate of Pontotoc High School. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State University in Starkville.

“I love to help people,” Ross said. “I try to make their day better.”

Ross, who lives in Pontotoc, is the daughter of Conwell and Bobbie Duke and has one son, Sherman Ross. She attends McDonald United Methodist Church.