Cleveland, OH - The Sisters of Charity Health System and Cleveland Clinic have signed an agreement for Mercy Medical Center, based in Canton, to become a full member of the Cleveland Clinic health system. Mercy Medical Center will maintain its Catholic identity through sponsorship by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. The transaction, which follows a letter of intent signed Sept. 27, 2019, is expected to be finalized on Feb. 1, 2021, subject to regulatory approval.
All services at Mercy Medical Center, including COVID-19 response, will continue without interruption throughout the regulatory approval process.
“Mercy and its caregivers, physicians and volunteers have been valiant leaders providing remarkable care to the individuals, families and communities of Stark County for over a century and especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, congregational leader of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. “Mercy, as it has been since its founding in 1908, will continue to be a treasured ministry of the Sisters of Charity.”
Mercy Medical Center is a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties and parts of southeastern Ohio. It has 620 members on its medical staff and employs 2,700 people. U.S. News & World Reportranks Mercy Medical Center as 17th on its list of Ohio’s best hospitals.
This agreement brings many benefits including expanding high-quality services while maintaining Mercy Medical Center’s Catholic identity; improving technology at Mercy Medical Center; providing support and investment to address additional needs in the community; building physician synergies; and increasing the ease of access to the most highly specialized services for patients in Stark County.
“We know how important Mercy Medical Center is to the people of Stark County and the surrounding area and we look forward to strengthening that bond,” said Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic. “At Cleveland Clinic we are dedicated to making all of our hospitals the best place to receive care. Together, Cleveland Clinic and Mercy Medical Center will continue to serve patients and communities with the highest quality, compassionate care.”
The agreement has met requirements of the Vatican and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
“The mission, values and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine are truly engrained into every member of the Mercy family,” said Thomas J. Strauss, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System and interim CEO of Mercy Medical Center. “We are excited for this partnership that will help Mercy strengthen its services to the community; provide expanded options for clinical services and support important growth initiatives that will provide for the long-term sustainability of Catholic health care in Canton.”
Cleveland Clinic currently operates 11 regional hospitals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Tuscarawas counties. Mercy Medical Center will be the second Catholic-affiliated hospital to join the Cleveland Clinic health system. Marymount Hospital in Garfield Hts., Ohio, was the first in the Cleveland Clinic health system.
Photos courtesy of Cleveland Clinic & Mercy Medical Center
(Copyright, iHeartMedia, 2020)
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