Frye Regional Medical Center Names 2026 Mercy Award Winner

Frye Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint hospital, announces Angela Gouge, MSW, LCSW, as the facility’s 2026 Mercy Award recipient. Gouge serves as a social worker for the Behavioral Health Unit and Oncology Services. This prestigious award is presented annually across Lifepoint Health’s facilities to one employee who deeply embodies the spirit of compassion, selflessness and service to others and values on which the company was founded.

Established in 2001, the Mercy Award is an annual recognition program honoring the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, Lifepoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. It is considered the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.

“Angela exemplifies mercy in action every day,” said Lindy White, MBA, FABC, chief executive officer of Frye Regional Medical Center. “Her compassion, advocacy and willingness to go above and beyond for patients and families reflect the very best of our organization and advancing our mission of making communities healthier.”

During her nearly 30 years at Frye Regional, Gouge has made a lasting impact through her unwavering commitment to helping vulnerable patients, supporting colleagues and serving the community. Among many examples of her service, she helped secure housing and essential necessities for a patient newly diagnosed with breast cancer who was experiencing homelessness, ensuring the patient could begin treatment with dignity and stability. Gouge also played a key role in reuniting an internationally missing patient with family in Belarus after more than a year and a half without contact. Working alongside local law enforcement and the

Russian Embassy, Gouge coordinated travel documentation, communication and support for the patient’s safe return home.

Beyond her hospital responsibilities, Gouge serves as chapter coordinator for the Catawba Valley chapter of Project Linus, organizing volunteer efforts to provide handmade blankets to children facing illness or trauma. She is also instrumental in Frye Regional’s annual shoe and sock drive benefiting children in foster care.

Within Frye Regional, Gouge supports employees through the hospital’s “We CARE” program, which provides emotional support and resilience resources for staff coping with workplace stress and traumatic situations.

Each facility winner, including Gouge, will be considered for Lifepoint’s 2026 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in September in Nashville, Tennessee.

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