Mercy Hospital St. Louis
1856
After receiving an invitation from the Reverend Arnold Damen, SJ, six Sisters of Mercy left New York City and came to St. Louis to establish a new foundation. They soon began visiting people suffering from poverty, offering aid and relief wherever they could.
The first few years in St. Louis were challenging for the Sisters of Mercy. Believing they were moving to the "South," they left their heavy coats and blankets behind and were unprepared for the harsh St. Louis winters. Their difficulties deepened in 1857 when Father Damen, one of their strongest supporters, was transferred to Chicago.
Financial hardship was a constant struggle. Conditions grew so dire that the Superior in New York urged the Sisters to abandon the mission and return to New York. According to one account, the Superior in St. Louis was seriously considering this idea when she was informed that the community had only one dollar left, and no food for the Sisters to eat. Faced with an uncertain future, she withdrew to the chapel to pray and discern whether the sisters should remain in St. Louis or leave. When she emerged, she learned that an anonymous donor had visited and left $100 – enough money to sustain their ministry. The unexpected gift revitalized the community and enabled the Sisters of Mercy to continue their work in St. Louis.
1860s
During the 1860s, the Sisters of Mercy established a strong foundation for their health care ministry in St. Louis. Soon after their arrival, they were introduced to Dr. Timothy Papin, who became an important supporter of their works. The Sisters cared for the sick in homes and hospitals and ministered to wounded Civil War soldiers. During the cholera outbreak of 1866, the Sisters responded with extraordinary dedication, providing continuous care to those in need across the community.
1871
Encouraged by Dr. Timothy Papin, the Sisters of Mercy opened an infirmary for women and children. Two years later, care was extended to men. Over the decades that followed, the institution evolved into a larger hospital, expanding its services and relocating twice to support its continued growth and service to the community.
Stories from the hospital's early years reveal both the scarcity of its resources and the Sisters' determination to make do with what they had. In one account, the Sisters gave up their own beds and mattresses to furnish the hospital wards. They kept this sacrifice hidden from their Superior, who discovered it only after noticing their blankets lining the hallways. From the very beginning, the Sisters demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the people they served.
1905
The Sisters of Mercy help establish a new school of nursing and work with local universities to expand medical education in St. Louis.
1912
On November 24, 1912 a new St. John’s Hospital was dedicated by Archbishop Glennon on the corner of Euclid and Parkview.
1915
The Sisters of Mercy partner with the United Railways Company to create what becomes one of the nation's earliest prepaid health insurance programs. The Sisters agree to set aside special wards for the employees.
1963
St. John’s Hospital on Euclid outgrows its landlocked location, and the Sisters turn to property on Ballas Road that Sister Mary Dominic Lynch, RSM, purchased years earlier. Once an apple orchard, the site becomes home to the new St. John's Mercy Medical Center in 1963, with convenient access for a growing region.
1967
The Sisters of Mercy open the Meacham Park Clinic to serve one of St. Louis County's historic neighborhoods. Staffed by St. John's physicians, the clinic offers a broad range of medical services and becomes one of the nation's early storefront clinics.
1971
As its capabilities continue to grow, St. John's Mercy Hospital becomes St. John's Mercy Medical Center. Patients have access to advanced services, including burn care, cancer therapy and sophisticated diagnostic and treatment technology.
1983
A $41.5 million expansion and renovation transforms St. John's Mercy Medical Center. The project adds a new patient tower and significantly expanded obstetric, neonatal intensive care, rehabilitation, critical care and behavioral health services.
The investment reflects the medical center's growing role in providing complex and specialized care for the St. Louis region.
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.”
1993
Years of planning and construction culminate in the opening of the 92,500-square-foot Surgery Center on the St. John's Mercy Medical Center campus. The self-contained center brings operating and patient care areas together with its own entrance, parking and support facilities.
2003
The David C. Pratt Cancer Center opens, bringing a wide range of cancer services together under one roof. Patients receive screening, diagnosis and treatment all in one location, including access to labs, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine, as well as social and spiritual services.
The center also introduces the only combined PET/CT scanner in West St. Louis County at the time.
2004
The new Women’s and Children’s Health Center opens with two additional floors devoted to mothers and babies, including 66 private rooms and two nurseries.
The Breast Center at St. John's Mercy also opens in the Mercy Doctors Building, providing a dedicated setting for breast health services.
2005
St. John's Mercy expands services at the John F. Kennedy Health Center and transitions services from the Meacham Park Clinic to the JFK location. The move brings additional treatment rooms, including space dedicated to children, while continuing a tradition of community-based care that began with the Meacham Park Clinic in 1967.
2006
St. John’s Mercy opens its new Heart Hospital with 96 private patient rooms, nine procedure labs and five operating rooms for cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery.
Soon after, adult and pediatric emergency services move into the new facility. The expanded emergency department includes dedicated adult and pediatric trauma and treatment areas as well as space for patients with less serious injuries and illnesses.
2007
St. John’s Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital opens as a three-level, 50-bed facility offering inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services. Designed to help patients prepare for greater independence, the hospital includes a therapeutic pool, specialized rooms, recreational therapy programs and apartments where patients and families can practice everyday tasks before returning home.
2009
St. John’s Mercy Medical Center implements an electronic health record system, connecting information across the patient care experience. More than 6,500 caregivers and physicians train on the new technology as the medical center becomes the sixth Sisters of Mercy Health System hospital to adopt the system.
2010
A newly constructed tower expands pediatric and neonatal care at St. John’s Mercy Children’s Hospital. The project increases pediatric capacity and adds private rooms for premature and critically ill newborns.
The expanded Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit becomes Missouri’s largest all-private NICU, with capacity for up to 122 babies.
2011
St. John’s Mercy Medical Center becomes Mercy Hospital St. Louis, bringing the hospital under the new ministry-wide Mercy brand.
Mercy Burn Center opens, increasing capacity and providing additional space for patients with complex burn injuries.
2013
New Labor and Birth suites open as part of a 75,000-square-foot expansion devoted to mothers and babies. The project includes 31 labor and birth suites, surgical suites for C-sections, recovery rooms and a Maternity Welcome Center near the hospital’s main entrance.
2014
Mercy Birthing Center opens on Labor Day as Missouri’s first in-hospital, low-risk birthing center led by certified nurse midwives.
2016
Mercy opens a dedicated 10-bed behavioral health area within the Emergency Department. The new space provides a secure setting for patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies, with intake counselors available around the clock to support the emergency care team.
July 2022
Mercy Proton Therapy Center opens at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center in July, bringing proton therapy to Mercy for the first time. At its opening, it’s one of about 40 proton therapy centers in the United States.
April 2023
Mercy Center for Performance Medicine and Specialty Care opens in April, expanding access to specialty services on the Mercy Hospital St. Louis campus.
