Two Mercy Colleagues Recognized as Healthcare Heroes

Two Mercy colleagues will be honored by BusinessWest magazine for their professional accomplishments and service to the community. Mark Kenton, D.O., Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Ashley LeBlanc, BSN, RN, Nurse Practice Manager of Thoracic Surgery and Nursing Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program for Mercy Medical Center have been named to the Springfield-based publication's "Healthcare Heroes” Class of 2023.

Dr. Kenton has been a member of the Mercy Emergency Department provider team since 2003 and he has served as Chief of Emergency Medicine since 2019. In this role, in partnership with nursing leadership, he oversees operations of the Emergency Department, including all patient care services, throughput, quality of care, and community relations. He is also an asset to the larger community for his work as an advocate who has gained local, state, and national attention for his input on several timely issues including workplace violence and the high cost of EpiPens.

In addition to overseeing the Thoracic Surgery department, LeBlanc has also been instrumental in creating a successful evidence-based, patient-centered Lung Cancer Screening Program (LCSP). In fact, under LeBlanc’s tutelage, Mercy's LCSP has earned national recognition for meeting the highest standards of lung cancer screening, including designation as a "Screening Center of Excellence" by the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer. LeBlanc is a fierce advocate for patients related to lung cancer screening, treatment, and research, who concentrates her efforts on ways to decrease the mortality rate of lung cancer and breakdown the stigma of lung cancer through educating the community.

Dr. Kenton and Ashley will be honored, along with other members of the Class of 2023, on October 26 at the annual "Healthcare Heroes" Gala at the Springfield Marriott.