Los Alamos Medical Center honors Julia Kilcer with 2026 Mercy Award

At Los Alamos Medical Center, Julia Kilcer is the person staff can call when a policy needs clarifying, a unit is short-handed or a critical situation starts to unravel. The hospital named the clinical educator its 2026 Mercy Award winner, recognizing work that reaches far beyond classroom training and into the daily operations that keep care available in Los Alamos County.

Kilcer has served as clinical educator since August 2024, but her role has extended across the 47-bed hospital. She has filled in as an Emergency Department nurse, an Intensive Care Unit nurse, a house supervisor and a clinical liaison. She also trained staff in the Handle with Care Program and co-authored policies, helping new hires learn hospital expectations while giving experienced staff a steady reference point when procedures or protocols change.

That kind of cross-training matters in a rural hospital where staffing gaps can ripple quickly through patient care, onboarding and retention. When one experienced nurse can move between education, direct care and leadership support, it helps preserve continuity for patients and gives coworkers someone who can answer questions with speed and confidence. One nursing colleague said Kilcer “brings calmness to the chaos” in critical situations.

Interim CEO Bob Singletary praised Kilcer as an exemplary role model who demonstrates the hospital’s core values. The award reflects that reputation across the building, where Kilcer has also volunteered at drive-thru clinics, participated in community events and education, and supported outpatient clinics. Her work has made her a familiar presence not just in the hospital, but in the broader community served by Los Alamos Medical Center.

Her path to Los Alamos also included earlier work supporting the elderly and more than a year in Sitki, Eswatini, where she led nurses on home visits to identify and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, chronic disease and palliative care needs. That background adds to the range she brings to a hospital that says it is the only hospital in Los Alamos County and a major healthcare provider for Northern New Mexico.

Lifepoint Health established the Mercy Award in 2001 to honor founder Scott Mercy and gives it annually to one employee who profoundly embodies the company’s values. Los Alamos Medical Center also honored Dianne Vandiver, RN, as its 2025 Mercy Award winner, underscoring how much the hospital relies on frontline nurses whose work may be invisible to patients but is central to keeping local care strong.