Earlier this month, Mercy entered into an affiliation agreement with Holdenville General Hospital to provide assistance in the operation of the rural health care facility.
The agreement keeps ownership of the hospital with the community. The hospital and its dedicated leaders, providers and co-workers will continue to provide care to patients in the Holdenville area. Mercy will offer assistance with financial planning, leadership development, safety initiatives, physician recruitment, service line development and other functions key to operating a community hospital.
“Access to health care is a critical component of a vibrant community,” said Di Smalley, regional president of Mercy in Oklahoma. “For 191 years, Mercy has made a commitment to delivering health care where it’s needed most, and we are proud to work with the leaders in Holdenville to help them keep care local.”
Holdenville Mayor Beverly Rodgers and Roberta Jeffrey, chief executive officer of Holdenville General Hospital, are looking forward to what the partnership with Mercy will mean to the residents of Holdenville and the surrounding communities. Mercy operates hospitals and clinics in urban and rural communities in Oklahoma.
“We chose to team up with Mercy because of their passion for rural health care,” said Rodgers. “Like all rural hospitals, Holdenville General Hospital faces many challenges posed by state and federal cuts to rural health care. Mercy will be a much-needed resource in helping us tackle these challenges.”
The 25-bed, critical-access hospital in Hughes County, Oklahoma, offers a variety of services, including emergency care, inpatient and swing bed services, surgery, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, imaging and laboratory.
The facility also offers a specialty clinic featuring providers who specialize in cardiology, ophthalmology, pain medicine and urology. Holdenville General Hospital operates three family practice clinics — two clinics in Holdenville and one clinic in nearby Wewoka, Oklahoma.
“We are hopeful that this partnership with Mercy will improve the efficiency of the hospital, bring financial stability and help us strengthen local services, such as physician recruitment efforts,” said Jeffrey. “We anticipate that it will be a win-win for both entities and, ultimately, for the community the hospital serves.”
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 and 2016 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 800 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 44,000 co-workers and 2,100 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy's IT division, Mercy Technology Services, supply chain organization, ROi, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients in more than 20 states coast to coast.
