Rehabilitation Hospital to be Added to Mercy South Campus

Mercy is expanding its investment in and commitment to the south St. Louis County community with the addition of a $37 million rehabilitation hospital on the Mercy Hospital South campus.

The planned two-story, standalone, 50-bed rehab hospital will feature two separate units: a general acute rehabilitation unit and a unit catering to the specific needs of stroke patients.

“In speaking with leaders and residents throughout our community, we’ve listened to their needs,” said Sean Hogan, Mercy South president. “That’s what is driving us to expand the care we provide for our patients who are ready to leave the hospital but still require around-the-clock nursing care and rehab treatment under doctors’ supervision.”

Mercy Rehabilitation Services – South is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for both its adult inpatient program and adult stroke specialty adult program. The current unit within Mercy Hospital South is licensed for 49 beds, but typically serves half that number in order to provide patients with their own rooms.

“Being able to double the number of patients we care for with all-private rooms is a significant improvement for our patients,” said Dr. Jennifer Page, Mercy South medical director of acute rehabilitation. “That’s on top of providing all the newest, upgraded amenities that come with building a new rehab hospital.”

Ground will be broken after the state of Missouri approves a Certificate of Need for the project. Mercy is working with civil engineers to determine the best location on campus, factoring in traffic patterns, parking and other items. Opening is targeted for early 2022.

The rehab hospital is the latest in a series of major investments on the Mercy South campus. Construction is nearing completion at the David M. Sindelar Cancer Center at Mercy South, which will include the Rooney Breast Center. The new cancer center is scheduled to begin caring for patients on June 1. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring on a complete rebuild of the labor and delivery floor of Mercy South with a mid-2021 opening.

“One of the many reasons we chose in 2017 to join Mercy was because of our shared goal to improve the care available here in South County,” said Win Reed, Mercy South board chairman. “It’s exciting to see the progress.”