Urbana resident and long-time Mercy Health employee Tonya West was honored on Tuesday as the 2024 Outstanding Senior Citizen during an event held at the Champaign County Fairgrounds.

The annual Senior Day celebration was coordinated locally by the Urbana Champaign County Senior Center. Nominations for the award were collected through the Area Agency on Aging.

West was nominated by Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital administrator Jamie Houseman, who wrote the following in her nomination application:

“Tonya has been the informal ‘mayor’ of this community for decades! She is a licensed social worker who started her career going into homes as a case worker and helping children. She then took her passion for helping others to the senior world when she began at Mercy McAuley Center in 1983. At Mercy McAuley she has worn the hat of social worker, admissions coordinator, activities director, volunteer coordinator, community relations director and Christmas Parade organizer … just to name a few!

“She serves on various boards and committees in the community – too many to count, but her most recent work includes being a board member for the Urbana Champaign County Senior Center, longtime member of BNI (Business Networking Inc.) and president of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce – serving as the first woman president! Last year she was honored with a ‘Friend of Nursing’ award during National Hospital and Nurses Week and earlier this year was given the ‘Values in Action’ award by BSMH (Bon Secours Mercy Health) for her work in exemplifying our core values and mission in her work in and outside of the hospital.”