Mercy Medical Center (Springfield)
Encyclopedia
Mercy Medical Center is located in Springfield, Massachusetts
. Run by the Sisters of Providence
Health System, Mercy Hospital is a faith-based
, non-profit organization serving patients regardless of background, beliefs, or ability to pay. Mercy Medical Center is known for its tradition of holistic health
care, combined with its state-of-the-art medical technology. As of 2011, Mercy Medical Center is ranked Among the Top 100 U.S. Hospitals.
In independent studies, Mercy scores very high in patient care and quality measures, (such as clinical performance and outcomes,) while charges and costs are consistently lower than other hospitals in Western Massachusetts
, Massachusetts
, and throughout the Knowledge Corridor
.
metropolitan area. Mercy Medical Center advocate public policies and initiatives, particularly those in the area of health care, that ensure quality of life for all - in line with the Catholic
faith.
Mercy's "core values" include: reverence for each person; community; justice; commitment to the poor; stewardship; courage; and integrity.
, Canada
. Two Sisters from the Canadian community approached Reverend Patrick J. Harkins, pastor of Holyoke, Massachusetts
' St. Jerome’s Church, in September 1873, asking permission to solicit funds from his parishioners. Granting their request, he in turn asked the Sisters to petition their superiors to send others from their community to establish a Holyoke mission. He wanted the new mission to address the needs of the hundreds of poor Irish and Scottish immigrants and mill workers living in Holyoke.
On November 7, 1873, four Sisters arrived to establish the Holyoke mission. Within a week they accepted the first orphan to their House of Providence and it was not long before city officials were sending the needy and infirm to them for care and shelter. From this "House of Providence," Mercy Medical Center in Springfield developed.
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. Run by the Sisters of Providence
Sisters of Providence
The Sisters of Providence are an order of Roman Catholic sisters founded in 1843 by Mother Émilie Gamelin. They are headquartered in Montreal, Quebec with five provinces: Mother Joseph Province, Holy Angels Province , Philippines Vice-Province, Émilie-Gamelin Province and Bernard Morin...
Health System, Mercy Hospital is a faith-based
Faith-based
The term faith-based is a neologism , mostly current in US English, to describe any organization or government idea or plan based on religious beliefs, specifically Christian beliefs....
, non-profit organization serving patients regardless of background, beliefs, or ability to pay. Mercy Medical Center is known for its tradition of holistic health
Holistic health
Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine...
care, combined with its state-of-the-art medical technology. As of 2011, Mercy Medical Center is ranked Among the Top 100 U.S. Hospitals.
In independent studies, Mercy scores very high in patient care and quality measures, (such as clinical performance and outcomes,) while charges and costs are consistently lower than other hospitals in Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and throughout the Knowledge Corridor
Knowledge Corridor
The Knowledge Corridor is term for the area comprising north-central Connecticut and the south-central Connecticut River Valley in Western Massachusetts...
.
Mission
Like other hospitals in the Sisters of Providence Health System, (a member of Catholic Health East,) Mercy is a community of persons committed to being a transforming, healing presence within the Knowledge CorridorKnowledge Corridor
The Knowledge Corridor is term for the area comprising north-central Connecticut and the south-central Connecticut River Valley in Western Massachusetts...
metropolitan area. Mercy Medical Center advocate public policies and initiatives, particularly those in the area of health care, that ensure quality of life for all - in line with the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith.
Mercy's "core values" include: reverence for each person; community; justice; commitment to the poor; stewardship; courage; and integrity.
History
Today’s Sisters of Providence originated from another community of religious women, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Vincent de Paul in Kingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Two Sisters from the Canadian community approached Reverend Patrick J. Harkins, pastor of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
' St. Jerome’s Church, in September 1873, asking permission to solicit funds from his parishioners. Granting their request, he in turn asked the Sisters to petition their superiors to send others from their community to establish a Holyoke mission. He wanted the new mission to address the needs of the hundreds of poor Irish and Scottish immigrants and mill workers living in Holyoke.
On November 7, 1873, four Sisters arrived to establish the Holyoke mission. Within a week they accepted the first orphan to their House of Providence and it was not long before city officials were sending the needy and infirm to them for care and shelter. From this "House of Providence," Mercy Medical Center in Springfield developed.