Mercy Hospital is a private not-for-profit Roman Catholic hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 located in Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...

. It is one of three hospitals in the city - the others being the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is a 762-bed public teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center affiliated with the University of Iowa. UIHC is part of University of Iowa Health Care, a partnership that includes the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A...

 and the Iowa City VA

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...

 Medical Center. The hospital is located at 500 E. Market Street. Mercy Hospital is affiliated with the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Regional Province of Chicago .

History

Mercy Hospital traces its history to 1873 when the Superior of the Davenport house of the Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy

The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

 entered into an agreement with the University of Iowa

University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

 to operate a small hospital in the community. At the request of Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...

physician Washington Freeman Peck the Superior sent a group of nuns to Iowa City to help staff the hospital. Dr. Peck and other physicians raised $5,000 to renovate a vacant school building known as Mechanics Academy into a 20 bed hospital. This arrangement lasted until 1885, when the Sisters moved to a nearby vacant mission. In 1886, the sisters established Mercy Hospital as an independent hospital.