Mercy Medical Center (also known as Mercy Medical, or Mercy Hospital,) is located in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. Founded by the Sisters of Providence Health System, Mercy Hospital is a faith-based,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization serving patients regardless of background or beliefs. Mercy Medical Center is known for its tradition of

holistic health Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ...

care. As of 2011, Mercy Medical Center is ranked among the Top 100 Community Value Hospitals by Cleverley & Associates.

Mission

Like other hospitals in the Sisters of Providence Health System, (a member of Catholic Health East), Mercy is a community of persons committed to serving citizens of the Knowledge Corridor metropolitan area. Mercy Medical Center advocate public policies and initiatives in line with the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

faith.

History

Today's Sisters of Providence originated from another community of religious women, the

Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul are an apostolic congregation of vowed women religious, who rely on and proclaim the Divine providence, Providence of God. They are the only religious congregation founded in Kingston, Ontario. H ...

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, Canada. In September 1873, two Sisters from the Canadian community approached Reverend Patrick J. Harkins, pastor of Holyoke, Massachusetts' St. Jerome's Church, asking permission to solicit funds from his parishioners. Reverend Harkins granted the request, he in turn asked the Sisters to petition their superiors to send others from their community to establish a Holyoke mission. He wanted the new mission to address the needs of the rapidly growing poor Irish and Scottish immigrant mill workers in the Holyoke community. On November 7, 1873, four Sisters arrived to establish the Holyoke mission. Within a week they accepted the first orphan to their House of Providence and it was not long before city officials were sending the needy and infirm to them for care and shelter. In 1874, the Sisters of Providence established the first Catholic hospital in western Massachusetts. Today's Springfield-based Mercy Medical Center developed from this small start as the "House of Providence." In 1998, Pittsburgh

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

Health System, Sisters of Providence Health System, and Allegany merged to form Catholic Health East. Catholic Health East merged with Trinity Health in 2013. Sisters of Providence Health System merged with St. Francis Care to form Trinity Health of New England in 2015.

Services provided

Facilities and current operations

Mercy Continuing Care Network

Mercy Continuing Care Network comprises six skilled nursing facilities, including two residential care facilities and an independent living facility. The network has

Western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as "western Mass," is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and univ ...

’ second largest home care agency, a hospice agency, an adult day health program, a

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a comprehensive model of health and social services for adults in the United States aged 55 and over who are sufficiently frail to be categorized as "nursing home eligible" by their state's M ...

(PACE), and an in-home private duty support program.

Nursing care facilities

In addition to offering specialized nursing care, each facility within the Mercy Continuing Care Network provides an array of social and cultural events to keep residents mentally alert and physically active. Facilities and services cover a wide geographic area with locations in Springfield Westfield Turners Falls, and

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

. Each nursing care facility is accredited by the

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...

Sister Caritas Cancer Center

The original cancer center opened in 2003 and was named after Sister Caritas, for her desire and mission to help cancer patients with a local treatment facility. In the spring of 2014, ground was broken on a new $15 million treatment center that will be two levels and offer 32 infusion bays to provide more than 30,00 treatments for cancer patients each year. The facility is scheduled to open in 2016.

Medical office building

In 2014, a new $20 million medical office building opened in the medical center area. The 75,000-square-foot facility will house the Mercy Hearing Center, the Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital's outpatient rehabilitation programs, and two Mercy-affiliated neurosurgery and orthopedic physician practices. Hampden County Physician Associates will also consolidate some of its other offices into the building.

References

{{authority control Catholic hospitals in the United States Organizations based in Springfield, Massachusetts Non-profit organizations based in Massachusetts Hospitals in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1873 establishments in Massachusetts