Mercy Urgent Care receives National Award
March 31, 2025 by Keely Knopp
Mercy Urgent Care was recently honored as the recipient of the Urgent Care Association’s 2025 Humanitarian Award for its service to the Western North Carolina community in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Each year, UCA, the trade association for urgent care professionals, acknowledges the work of those advancing patient-centered health care through its Urgent Care Awards. The annual Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual or organization whose significant medical volunteer work has had a positive impact on a national or international cause or event. In honoring Mercy Urgent Care with this award, UCA commends the nonprofit’s leadership and dedication in providing relief to communities across the region in the wake of the natural disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene.
“I am honored to accept the Urgent Care Association’s 2025 Humanitarian Award on behalf of our Mercy team,” said Mercy President and CEO Rachel Sossoman. “Their efforts in the wake of the hurricane provided a critical lifeline for western North Carolina when it was needed the most, and they did this work even as they suffered their own losses. They are extraordinary individuals whose commitment to serving others changes lives, including mine, for the better every day.”
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina last fall and many local healthcare organizations were forced to close due to lack of access and utilities, the Mercy team was determined to continue serving the community. Although many Mercy facilities had no running water, staff worked quickly to reopen the clinics — setting up portable bathrooms in parking lots and water distribution stations in centers — to ensure Mercy remained accessible for patients across the region. Mercy Urgent Care, the region’s only nonprofit urgent care network, became a central access point of healthcare in the community during the disaster, and its urgent care facilities continue to be a vital resource as the region rebuilds. The Mercy team’s resilience played a critical role in keeping the community’s access to care intact in the wake of the storm.
“Included in the outstanding work we are seeing across the urgent care field is the contribution of Rachel Sossoman and her team at Mercy Urgent Care,” said Robert Kimball, MD, chair of the Urgent Care Association Awards Committee. “Against many odds, this group stepped up to find a way to continue to serve their communities in Western North Carolina in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Helene. Many of the staff themselves were impacted but still showed up to take care of those in need. Thank you, Rachel and Mercy Urgent Care, and congratulations on this well-deserved award.”
The Urgent Care Association has been the trade association for urgent care since 2004, and its current membership of more than 4,000 urgent care centers represents clinical and business professionals from the United States and abroad. The winners of its annual Urgent Care Awards, nominated by their peers and selected by the Urgent Care Association Awards Committee, will be recognized across eight categories at the 2025 Urgent Care Foundation Celebration in Dallas this May.
