Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stormont Vail medical technologist Mark Neuer was spending his work days labeling blood cultures and processing routine and surgical specimens.
When the coronavirus began overwhelming hospitals and people lined up to be tested, Neuer took on more responsibility. The hospital's microbiology team not only had to continue with their day-to-day jobs, but they began running tests on COVID-19 swabs to determine if a person was positive.
The hard work that Neuer commits to his job every day helped earn him an accolade from Kansas State University as a hometown hero.
According to Jennifer Duncan, an employee at Learfield IMG College, which ran the hometown hero campaign on behalf of the university's athletics department, choosing Neuer was an easy decision.