Employees at Southeastern Kentucky Medical Center were on the receiving end of two generous random acts of kindness Thursday.

Dr. Ron Dubin and his wife Joanne purchased several thousand dollars in gift cards for groceries at Long’s Pic Pac. Following his act of generosity, Sandy Long and Mike Long of Long’s Pic Pac and Long’s 1 & Up, matched the gift cards with another gift card that can be used at Pic Pac or 1 & Up.

“What happened yesterday at 8 a.m., I was driving to Corbin and I pulled into that parking lot,” Dubin explained. “I literally teared up because what you guys are going through, what you have committed to do is heroism in my world.”

Dubin is referring to the weeks that employees at SKMC have gone without receiving paychecks.

“I said I’ve got to do something for you people because you are such heroes in my life,” he said. “You’re not getting paid, you have no money, you have no source of income. A lot of you people live paycheck to paycheck, and I realized that I have to do something. Not many people would do what you are doing right now and my heart is out to you.”

He pointed out the work that Pineville Mayor Scott Madon has put in to moving the hospital in a positive direction.

“I will tell you that your mayor, and I’ve talked to him several times, is doing a fantastic job trying to keep this building open and keep the hospital functioning,” Dubin said. “But everybody knows that it cannot happen without you folks, so my hats off to you. You guys really are heroes. Thank you.”

Mayor Scott Madon expressed to those in the cafeteria to hold on because good things are coming.

“There’s good things coming,” Madon said. “That’s all I can tell you is that there’s good things coming. Yesterday, I thought we were closing. I’m not going to lie, I thought we were closing. Please hold on, I know it’s tough on you guys. I can’t say enough about what these guys are doing, Sandy and Mike, and Dr. Dubin.”

An emergency meeting was held Thursday morning between Madon and the Pineville City Council.

“I can’t share a lot but things are moving forward,” he said. “City council did approve a few minutes ago for us to be part of this hospital.”

Everyone in the cafeteria applauded Madon.

“We have some real important meetings coming up, and it looks like everything is moving forward at this time and that’s about all I can say,” he expressed. “I just want to give you some positive spin on everything. We do feel like after Monday at 5 p.m. that we are going to have a new breath of air.”

Hospital employee Janice Willis said the news from Madon makes her hopeful.

“It’s like we’ve been kicked back so many times and we think things are going good and then we get kicked back again, but this sounds very hopeful and I am just so happy,” she said. “It’s going on eight weeks without pay and we’ve struggled. We’ve stayed to keep the hospital open, and I’ve been here going on 27 years. I can’t leave. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay until I retire.”

Willis has worked in several departments of the hospital including the nursing home, med surg, and in the ER some.

“I really, really appreciate what they are doing,” she said regarding the act of kindness shown from the Dubins and the Longs toward them. “I just teared up. It really means so much.”

“This is a small gesture, I know for as long as you’ve not been paid,” Mike Long expressed. “It’s not a lot of money and we just want to try to help.”