Mercy's History in Oklahoma City
1884
Five Sisters of Mercy leave Lacon, Illinois, and set out for Indian Territory after accepting an invitation to serve local Native American communities. All in their 20s, the Sisters travel by covered wagon, cross the rivers on horseback and face severe weather and difficult conditions along the way.
They arrive in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, in July and open St. Mary's Academy, a boarding school for Native American girls. Students come from Potawatomi, Chickasaw and Seminole families, and the Sisters respect the religious traditions of those who are not Catholic.
1892
When a mine explodes in Krebs in 1892, the Sisters temporarily close their small school and travel from house to house to care for injured miners and support widows and children affected by the disaster.
1903
A property in Oklahoma City is donated to the Sisters and by December of that year the cornerstone is placed and construction begins on a new school. Two years later, Mount St. Mary’s Academy opens and welcomes five students.
1947
The Sisters of Mercy purchase Oklahoma City General Hospital in downtown Oklahoma City, establishing a more formal health care ministry in the city.
At the hospital, the Sisters make a significant change: patients receive care regardless of race, creed or color. Their commitment to equal treatment extends to hospital staff as well, reflecting the Mercy philosophy that discrimination has no place in the care of the sick.
1973
As Oklahoma City grows, the Sisters move the hospital from downtown to a new campus in an area then surrounded largely by open pasture. The new hospital is named Mercy Health Center. With plans for improved highway access as the city expands westward, a 400-bed hospital is opened in 1973.
The oil embargo soon delays road construction, leaving the new hospital difficult to reach for a time. Despite the challenge, the campus remains in place as development gradually grows around it.
1986
After prayerful reflection, the Sisters of Mercy decide to form the Sisters of Mercy Health System, joining together thirteen hospitals across seven states. The formation of the health system allows the Sisters to strengthen sponsorship, maximize resources, pursue a unified strategic direction, and explore new and innovative ways to serve. One of the system’s early mission leaders, Sister Juliana Casey, IHM, spoke about this transition saying, “It was time. It was a moment of the Spirit. It was what we needed to do.”
2012
Mercy Health Center becomes Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City.
2014
Mercy opens a new facility along Interstate 35 in Edmond. The location brings outpatient surgery, imaging, laboratory services, specialty physician offices, wellness services and sports performance programs together in one location.
2019
Mercy Edmond Emergency Department and a new primary care building open along Interstate 35. The facility includes emergency and primary care services along with imaging, laboratory services and an infectious disease isolation room.
2020
Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City South opens, extending hospital care to patients and families in south Oklahoma City.
2021
OU Health and Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City launch Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery, a collaboration providing advanced medical and surgical care for conditions affecting the brain and spine.
2024
The Love Family Women's Center opens on the Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City campus. The center includes an obstetrics emergency department and a low-intervention birthing unit, both firsts for Oklahoma City.
Mercy also completes a $2.6 million emergency department expansion, adding a new CT scanner and additional resources for patients experiencing stroke, trauma, chest pain and other urgent conditions.
This same year, Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City marks 50 years since the Sisters of Mercy purchased Oklahoma City General Hospital and began their hospital ministry in Oklahoma.
2025
Gifts totaling nearly $4 million from The Meinders Foundation bring Herman Meinders' lifetime giving to Mercy to more than $24 million. His generosity makes him the largest individual donor in Mercy's history across the five states Mercy serves.
2026
The Kathryn Ann Meinders Digestive Health Institute opens on the Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City campus. The 52,000-square-foot center brings comprehensive digestive health services together in one location, including procedure and recovery rooms, specialty clinics, a motility lab and a chapel.
