Staff members at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith attend a cookout on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, on the hospital campus in Fort Smith. In honor of National Nurses Week (May 6-12) and National Hospital Week (May 8-14), Mercy leaders provided lunch for hospital employees while the band Prairie Creek, which included Mercy Fort Smith director of facilities Lloyd McFerran, performed bluegrass music. On Tuesday, Mercy announced that its hospitals in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas received A grades for protecting patients from the independent national watchdog organization Leapfrog Group. It was the 12th straight A for Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. Visit nwaonline.com/220512Daily/ for today's photo gallery.<br />
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)