Fort Smith Hospital to Help Child Abuse Victims

St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith, Ark., has donated space on the first floor of Mercy Medical Tower for use by Hamilton House Child and Family Safety Center, a facility which provides a safe, child-friendly environment where comprehensive community services can be provided to child victims of abuse and their non-offending family members. Hamilton House is the only facility of its kind in the region. Learn more.

St. Joseph’s Mercy to Manage Howard Memorial Hospital

St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System in Hot Springs, Ark., has entered into a three-year management services agreement with Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Ark.

Northwest Arkansas CEO Takes New Role

George Flynn has been named senior vice president of performance improvement for Mercy. He will continue to serve as president and CEO of Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas during the search for a new CEO, and will transfer to his new position upon the arrival of a new CEO in Northwest Arkansas.

Kansas Hospital Foundation Begins Women in Philanthropy Program

Fort Scott: Mercy Health Center Foundation in Fort Scott, Kansas, recently became the second hospital foundation within Mercy to implement a Women in Philanthropy program. Women in Philanthropy is open to all women in the local community who support the work and mission of Mercy and recognize that, as donors, women can making an impact on healthcare in their community. The program was created to support Mercy Health Center while also encouraging women as philanthropic leaders. By uniting donations, the group is able to identify specific programs or services deserving of philanthropic support, one of which will be awarded an annual grant.

Kansas Hospitals and Physician Offices Go Live on Epic

Independence: On October 5 and 6, Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, Mercy Hospital in Independence and more than 30 Mercy physicians with offices in both locations went live on Epic, Mercy's new electronic health record (EHR) system. Mercy now has three hospitals and more than 650 physicians live on the new system, including Mercy Medical Center and physicians in Northwest Arkansas, and physician offices in the St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, areas. St. John’s Hospital in Springfield will be the next to go live on the EHR system in January 2009.

Oklahoma City Expanded NICU Opens

The new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City opened the week of Ocober 19. The expansion enlarges the NICU from 28 to 42 beds, providing additional capacity for babies who need special care and is designed as a family-centered unit which helps families to remain close and involved with seriously ill babies. An official grand opening will be held in January.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital Receives Third Consecutive Press Ganey Award

Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Heart Hospital has received the 2008 Summit Award from Press Ganey for maintaining patient satisfaction rankings at or above the 95th percentile for three consecutive years. This is the third year in a row that Oklahoma Heart Hospital has received this honor. Oklahoma Heart Hospital was one of only 48 hospitals in the world to receive the award.

Ardmore Mercy Memorial Receives Award for VAP Prevention Efforts

Mercy Memorial Health Center in Ardmore, Okla., has been honored with the Zap VAP Center of Excellence award from Covidien. In the last four years, Mercy Memorial has had only one occurrence of VAP (ventilator-associated pneumonia), while the national average is 2.7 VAP cases per month. More than 50 hospitals nationwide applied for the Zap VAP Center of Excellence Award last year, but only 10 received the honor.

St. John’s Mercy Named Best Place to Work by Modern Healthcare

St. Louis:St. John’s Mercy Health Care in St. Louis has been named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of Best Places to Work in Health Care for 2009. The ranked order of the 100 Best Places to Work in Health Care will be revealed in a special supplement to be published October 26.

Washington Auxiliary Honored

Washington: St. John’s Mercy Hospital Auxiliary, part of St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington, Missouri, received an Auxiliary of the Year award for their volunteer services to the healthcare community at the Missouri Hospital Association’s (MHA) 85th Annual Convention and Trade Show. From June 2006 through May 2007, 217 St. John’s Mercy Hospital Auxiliary members volunteered 68,302 hours and contributed $105,243 to hospital and scholarship programs, in addition to volunteering with 71 hospital care programs, fundraising projects and awareness campaigns.

St. John’s Clinic–Rolla Celebrates Grand Opening

St. John’s Clinic in Rolla celebrated its grand opening on October 18. The 107,000 square-foot clinic is the region’s most technologically advanced healthcare facility and one of the first in the nation designed for an electronic health record and the new workflows of the digital age. St. John’s Clinic–Rolla consolidates the services of three different facilities into one fully-digital office offering a wide range of specialties.

Mercy Ministries of Laredo Receives $1 Million Grant

Mercy Ministries of Laredo(MML) in Laredo, Texas, has been selected to receive a $1 million grant from the Stark Diabetes Center. Payable over a two year period, the grant will enhance MML’s ability to provide diabetic care and prevention in the Laredo community.