Tucked behind the Willow Court nurse’s station at the Arkansas Health Center is Kristi Moyers’ small office.                        

A Licensed Practitioner Nurse supervisor, she has important paperwork camped in plain sight. But there are additional reminders of what Moyers means to her employees and the patients.         

A wood, gold-plated plaque – cut in the shape of Arkansas – hangs on the office wall. The plaque commemorates Moyers earning the Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health Services 2017 Employee of the Year honor. 

Stacked on a desk are plastic plates and coffee maker dispensers.  There’s also a variety of snacks.

Candy, candy bars, snack crackers, chips, drinks, and soups are available for any staff member who needs them.

“I always try and provide morale boosters. My snack stash is for people to get some candy and talk about how life is going,” she says. “I want people to know that they can come to me for anything.”    

It’s only fitting that Moyers took part in the center’s Random Act of Kindness campaign.      

During the single-day program, center employees did nice things to put a smile on their colleagues’ faces. 

One such gesture from Moyers was a letter of gratitude to Spencer Harris. Moyers is his boss at Willow Court.

“I always do the best I can,” Harris said. “For people to see and appreciate the effort I put into my job, that means a lot to me.”

Louise Henshaw, center activities director, said that staff often do awesome things for one another. But only a few people know about the good deeds.

“The Random Act of Kindness Day created an opportunity for everyone to see the staff’s generosity and support for each other. Usually, our staff does nice things for one another privately and don’t talk much about it,” Henshaw said.  

The center is a 310-bed psychiatric facility that serves the elderly and people with disabilities who require specialized services or programs. So working at the center can be mentally demanding.         

“The Random Acts day was a special morale booster,” said Allan Eakin who organized the event as special services coordinator for the center. “The kind acts also remind us of how important it is that we stop and notice one another, and respect how hard we all work to provide care for the patients.”             

“People sometimes get down about their situations,” Moyers said. “Taking care of so many people is a stressful job. So we all need a boost to remind us that we’ll be alright.”

Cutline: Up top, Harris laughs during a conversation with Moyers.