ST. LOUIS – The affiliation between Mercy and St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis is official. The two organizations announced in February they were entering a definitive agreement for an affiliation and have since been finalizing details. Under the terms, St. Anthony’s becomes Mercy’s fifth acute care hospital in the greater St. Louis region and the third largest hospital across Mercy’s four states.
“This is a wonderful day for the community, for patients and for co-workers,” said Donn Sorensen, Mercy executive vice president. “Two organizations with a shared faith-based heritage are coming together offering expanded access to care throughout the area and greater opportunities for co-workers.”
Mike McCurry, Mercy executive vice president and chief operating officer, is expanding his responsibilities to take on the role of St. Anthony’s president, succeeding Kelly Wetzler who served as interim CEO for the past few months. Sorensen will provide executive oversight for operations.
With the affiliation complete, Mercy will begin its community roundtable listening tours which have become a tradition when it enters a new service area. These events typically include business and civic leaders, physicians, elected officials and other community representatives, who are invited to gather with hospital leaders to help determine next steps in the community master planning process.
“When the Sisters of Mercy would move into a new area they listened to the community needs and took action,” McCurry said. “We’ve found in listening we are better able to plan for the future as well as discover ways of keeping the best care close to home.”
“We’re excited for what the future holds for St. Anthony’s as part of the Mercy team,” said Winthrop Reed III, chairman of St. Anthony’s Board of Directors. “This is a great opportunity for our co-workers and our community.”
The blessing of transition will be marked in September with a celebration including representatives from both organizations as well as the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
St. Anthony’s Medical Center, the third largest medical center in the St. Louis metropolitan area, cares for families across a multi-county region in Missouri and southwest Illinois. St. Anthony’s services are provided by 3,500 employees and nearly 670 medical staff members, including a 176-member physician organization. St. Anthony’s also operates four urgent care facilities, located in Arnold, Fenton, Lemay and Kirkwood.
