Mercy Names Combs Vice President of Specialty Care Supporting Women’s and Children’s Services

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Mercy Names Combs Vice President of Specialty Care Supporting Women’s and Children’s Services

Bethany Pope

Phone: 314-251-4472

Quick Facts: St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Emily Combs, who started her Mercy career as a bedside nurse in a mother-baby unit, was recently named Mercy vice president of specialty care, supporting women’s and children’s care. The new role is part of Mercy’s Strategy 2030, bringing together physician expertise and operational excellence to strengthen care across the communities it serves.

Combs, who most recently served as chief operating officer at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, brings more than 20 years of leadership experience and a strong clinical foundation with both bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and extensive experience supporting women’s health services.

Emily Combs named Mercy vice president of specialty care, supporting women's and children's care.

“Throughout her career, Emily has been recognized as a strong operational leader who combines strategic vision with a deep commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care,” said David Argueta, Mercy senior vice president and president of community operations. “She has built trusted partnerships with physicians, other clinicians and caregivers while leading initiatives that strengthen access, enhance the patient experience and support long-term growth.”

Beginning her career in Mercy St. Louis’ busy mother/baby unit, Combs quickly advanced to serve as nurse manager of the unit, executive director of nursing and ultimately broader operational leadership roles. She brings experience across nursing, clinical operations and executive leadership, giving her a unique perspective on the opportunities and evolving needs within women’s healthcare.

In this Mercy-wide role, Combs will partner closely with Mercy physicians, community leaders and operational teams to bring greater coordination and focus to women’s and children’s care across Mercy.

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state healthcare system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 6,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.