FARMINGTON A community roundtable held recently in Farmington gave participants an opportunity to learn what the Mercy health care system will bring to its new partnership with Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City.

More importantly, said Lynn Britton, Mercy president and CEO, this event is allowing community leaders a chance to provide input on the regions health care needs.

The event, held April 4 at Alexanders, was attended by approximately 50 people who were treated to a meal and special presentation given by Mercy.

Mercy is the sixth largest Catholic health care system in the United States and serves more than 3 million people annually. The highly integrated organization includes 32 hospitals, 300 outpatient locations, 39,000 co-workers and 1,700 integrated physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center became a part of Mercy two months ago and was renamed Mercy Hospital Jefferson. Established as Jefferson Memorial Hospital in 1957, it is a 251-bed private, not-for-profit hospital managed by a local board of directors.

During the presentation, Britton expressed his pride in Mercys humble beginnings and its continued commitment to ministry.

Mercy has always been about caring for those who need it most, Britton said. From the beginning, the Sisters who began our ministry often used methods that were considered unconventional. That pioneering spirit and desire to change things for the better has always been part of Mercy.

According to the health systems website, Mercy traces its U.S. roots to New York in 1846. In 1856 the Sisters of Mercy came to St. Louis and founded the Religious Sisters of Mercy of the St. Louis Province. Fifteen years later in 1871 they opened a 25-bed infirmary for women and children. Over the years, the Sisters of Mercy expanded their health ministry in the Regional Communitys seven-state area: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. While the hospitals and other health care facilities sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy were not formally linked, as early as the 1960s they shared management and consulting staff resources.

In 1986, to position the individual hospitals for coming changes in health care, the Sisters of Mercy created the Sisters of Mercy Health System, Britton explained. Today, Mercy carries a simplified name and a focus on providing the best care in our hospitals, physician clinics, outpatient facilities, outreach ministries and other health and human services. We are sponsored by Mercy Health Ministry, which was established by the Catholic Church to oversee the healing ministry and Catholic identity of Mercy Health.

Britton explained that, when the Sisters of Mercy came to the decision to turn their ministry over to the health care system, the agreement had to receive approval from the Vatican. They also made the requests: 1) Never let Mercy become a relic; 2) Love it and nurture it; and 3) Please dont forget us.

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Roundtable highlights local health care needs