By Staci Jones

The Selma Times-Journal

Vaughan Regional Medical Center announced Lead Radiology Technician, Alvin Craig, as the 2015 Mercy Award Winner in May.

“We are extremely proud to recognize Alvin Craig for his efforts on behalf of our patients and our community,” said David Sirk, CEO of Vaughan Regional Medical Center. “Alvin goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person he encounters is treated with the highest level of care and compassion.”

Craig, a native of Selma, said he has no choice but to care for his patients because so many of them shaped him into the man that he is today.

He lives by the golden rule of treating others the way that you want to be treated.

“Many of my patients are old friends from school, family, old teachers and church members,” Craig said.

“They are people I know . . . I have to be nice to everyone.”

Craig feels that part of him receiving such an honor is his passion to do things in a time efficient manner. He gets his patients in and out because he knows that they have other things to do.

The Mercy Award is the highest honor bestowed to LifePoint employees. It was established in 2002 in memory of Scott Mercy, LifePoint’s founding chairman and CEO. It is an annual recognition given to only one employee from each of the 60 hospitals hosted by LifePoint Health.

Craig is being recognized for demonstrating compassion and unwavering commitment to helping others, according to a press release by LifePoint announcing the award.

“I don’t do these things for awards,” Craig said. “This isn’t a job, because I love what I do.”

He hopes that in him receiving the award, others can see that Selma produces good people — and he is only one of the few.

“I guess they see me as a great humanitarian,” said Craig in mentioning that he is grateful that the employees of the hospital saw fit enough in, a candidate for the award.

He says that a big part of the honor comes in being selected from the pool of great people that he works with.

Craig, along with the winners from the other LifePoint hospitals, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2015 company-wide Mercy Award.

The company-wide award winner will be announced at a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., later this summer.