They’ve worked hard and been the center of a very real fight over the past five months, so it was time the community showed their appreciation.
The Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce honored all employees at Northwest Regional Medical Center Tuesday morning by providing each of the hospital’s 430 employees a freshly made brownie and cookie from the Dutch Oven.
Joel Southern, Northwest Regional Administrator, said most healthcare providers do their job because they love it and the cookies were an incredible gesture.
“We deeply appreciate what the chamber has done and it shows you care about us,” said Southern. “I think it also demonstrates the community realizes what heroes our staff are in these unprecedented times.”
Coahoma County Board of Supervisors President Johnny Newson said he was pleased to be a part of the recognition.
“We are so grateful to the Chamber for recognizing the hard work of each employee of our hospital,” said Newson. “Whether one is a doctor, a nurse, a technician, a cleaner, or in administration, each person has an important role to play in the efficient delivery of safe and effective healthcare to our community.
“We are proud of our hospital’s employees,” he added, “and I am very pleased we can honor their hard work and dedication.”
Chamber President, Dianne Mitchell, who also works at Northwest Regional, has seen firsthand the dedication and drive of hospital employees and lauded the chamber’s effort.
“The pandemic we are now enduring has caused us all to adapt to changing conditions,” said Mitchell. “Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Chamber was unable to provide the community our annual Fridays at the Stage and our Youth Leadership Clarksdale class was cut short.
“But we take our opportunities to serve our community where we can find them,” Mitchell explained. “Therefore, I am so proud that our Chamber chose to recognize the people who make healthcare possible in our hospital with the purchase of this gift to them.”
Jon Levingston, Executive Director of the Chamber, said the cookie was a small gesture but the thank-you was immense.
“I am so honored to be able to participate in saying, ‘Thank you,’ to every person who works at our hospital,” said Levingston. “Northwest Regional Medical Center is the engine that drives healthcare in Coahoma County and, as such, it is vital to our quality of life and to our current and future economic development. Every employee of this hospital is important and they perform an exceptional service to our community.”
The Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce is a service organization to the county and city. It provides annual programming such as the annual Christmas Parade, the Fridays at the Stage concert series, the annual Youth Leadership Clarksdale program, the Annual Chamber Banquet, the Citizen of the Year and Small Business of the Year award recognitions. It has served the Clarksdale/Coahoma County region for over 100 years.
