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Description

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Welcome to the Mercy Medical Center Centerville
Our hospital has served Centerville and Appanoose County for over 90 years Our hospital community and healthcare have all changed radically since 1910 when the Sisters of Mercy began their ministry here The hospital has changed physical locations twice Our current technologies such as surgical lasers color flow Doppler ultrasound CT MRI laparoscopic surgery PET scans and telemedicine existed only in the minds of science fiction writers of the day A first class letter cost 2cent to send and the Chicago Cubs were in the World Series events that only exist in the minds of science fiction writers today

But with regard to healthcare in our area there are things that havent changed The vision of Catherine McAuley and her Sisters of Mercy has not wavered in Centerville Although the faces have changed and the numbers have increased the compassion excellence and dedication of the doctors and hospital employees has been as constant as the daily rising of the sun

All of us at Mercy Medical Center Centerville are privileged to be in the position of serving in a ministry of healing The author Julianna Casey noted that healthcare is about people who are vulnerable and anxious interacting with people who seek to alleviate suffering to heal and to accompany others in their struggles In all of Mercy Medical Centers endeavors beginning with wellnesshealth promotion and ending with faith based hospice services it is our Mission to promote the wellbeing of people in the communities we serve by living the values that define and guide all of our actions

Mission
The mission of Mercy Medical Center Centerville and Catholic Health Initiatives is to nurture the healing ministry of the Church by bringing it new life energy and viability in the 21st century

Fidelity to the Gospel urges us to emphasize human dignity and social justice as we move toward the creation of healthier communities

Values
REVERENCE Profound spirit of awe and respect for all of creation shaping
relationships to self to one another and to God and acknowledging that we
hold in trust all that has been given to us

INTEGRITY Moral wholeness soundness uprightness honesty sincerity as
a basis of trustworthiness

COMPASSION Feeling with others begin one with others in their sorrows and
joy rooted in the sense of solidarity as members of the human community

EXCELLENCE Outstanding achievement merit virtue continually surpassing
standards to achievemaintain quality

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History

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In 1902 the medical fraternity of Centerville IA raised approximately 10000 for the purpose of establishing a hospital

The Wm Peatman residence on South Main Street was purchased and another close by was also secured and moved to the west end of the lot In this latter building rooms were provided for the nurses as well as the chapel Before work on the hospital had been completed apartments were erected which joined the two structures mentioned and the result was a connected string of buildings running from Main Street back to South Twelfth Street The hospital was opened November 17 1903 under the management of local physicians

Financial and management difficulties were encountered in the operations of the hospital Father Loftus of St Marys Church accompanied by a committee of business and professional men approached the Sisters of Mercy in Council Bluffs Iowa and requested their assistance in the management and operation of the hospital After a second request Bishop Davis gave his approval for the Sisters to accept the responsibility and management of the hospital

In September 1910 two Sisters of Mercy from Council Bluffs Sister Evagelista Claherty and Sister Alacoque Lannan took over the management of the hospital assuming all of its indebtedness A few months after their arrival a small wing was added to accommodate the increasing patronage and the name of the hospital was changed to St Josephs Mercy Hospital At this time also a threeyear diploma School of Nursing was established in conjunction with the hospital The School of Nursing was accredited by the State of Iowa in 1911 Seventyfive young women graduated and became RNs by the time the school was closed in June of 1935

A new structure with a 48bed capacity was built in 1916 to replace the old hospital The citizens of Centerville contributed 15000 toward the construction of this building In addition help was given to furnish many of the rooms of the fourstory building which contained a total of 60 beds

The Womens Hospital Auxiliary was formed in October of 1952 under the guidance of Sr Mary Fabian Huber RSM The auxiliary organization was noted for its generous assistance in many hospital activities and continues to be a major force of support for SJMH to this day with 200 active members

In August of 1953 a Federal Grant of 205414 was approved for expansion of the hospital The Sisters of Mercy and the Community equally shared the remainder of the debt A successful fund drive was undertaken to raise the communitys contribution to the building addition

The close relationship between St Josephs Mercy Hospital and St Marys Church that began with Father Loftus original trip to Council Bluffs in 1910 continued as parish priests served as chaplains at the hospital In 1967 the Sisters of Mercy donated the candleholders and holy water fonts for the brand new St Marys Church constructed that year

Throughout the years Mercy Sisters served as administrators nurses caregivers pastoral ministers and managers of the hospital The last Sister of Mercy to serve as administrator Sr Mary Timothea left in 1969 and later became Sr Patricia Clare Sullivan President of Mercy Health Center of Central Iowa and Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines

In October of 1977 faced with an obsolete building having numerous code violations that threatened the hospitals accreditation the community once again embarked on a 300000 fund drive to build a new facility on the north edge of town The campaign was successful in raising 400000 and in the spring of 1979 the hospital moved into a new 60bed building that at that time was the most modern hospital facility in a 50mile radius

In 1986 St Josephs Mercy Hospital affiliated with Mercy Health Center of Central Iowa This union not only assisted SJMH in developing expanded patient services and rural health care programs but also helped preserve and strengthen the institution and continued to serve the health needs in southeastern Iowa

In 1998 St Josephs Mercy Hospital in association with seven other Iowa Mercy sponsored facilities formed the Mercy Health Network of Iowa a unified network of institutions programs and services jointly owned by Catholic Health Initiatives and Mercy Health Services A full continuum of services is provided within this Iowa based healthcare system Through this association St Josephs Mercy Hospital officially changed its name in July 1999 to Mercy Medical CenterCenterville

Under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Mercy and their worldwide acclaimed dedication to quality and compassion Mercy Medical Center Centerville has developed into one of rural Iowas most outstanding health care facilities By prudently directing the hospital in order to achieve an optimum mix of modern physical facility quality medical staff wellqualified professional employees and uptodate medical technology the Board of Directors and Administration of MMCC has assured area residents of medical care usually found only in urban areas