Mission
Like the Sisters of Mercy before us, we witness God’s healing love for all people by providing excellent clinical and residential services within a community of compassionate care.
Values
Mercy Health Services’ core values are Dignity, Hospitality, Justice, Excellence, Stewardship, and Prayer. Learn more about Mercy’s mission and values.
A History of Caring
The Sisters of Mercy were founded by Catherine McAuley in 1824. Using her inheritance, Catherine built a refuge for homeless and abused women on Baggot Street in Dublin, Ireland. Through prayerful deliberation and consultation with other women, Catherine founded a new religious congregation. In 1831, along with two of her associates, Catherine McAuley took religious vows to become a Sister of Mercy. The group of Catholic women was the first order to leave their cloistered convent to walk the streets of Ireland, becoming known as the “walking nuns.”
Upon Catherine’s death in 1841, there were as many as 150 Sisters of Mercy, and shortly thereafter, small groups of Sisters left Ireland to serve the needs of those in various other countries, including the United States.
The Sisters founded the Baltimore City Hospital in 1874 and renamed it Mercy Hospital in 1909. Since its founding, 16 Sisters of Mercy have served as President of what is now known as Mercy Medical Center, and many more have offered their caring and devoted touch to families in and around the City of Baltimore.
National and Regional Recognition
Mercy has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, most recently including recognition as a “High Performing” Hospital for 2020-21 by U.S. News and World Report. Mercy was named a “High Performing” hospital in hip replacement and knee replacement for procedure/condition ratings, also measured by U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, Mercy was recognized as a 5-star recipient for Gynecologic Procedure Care and for Vaginal Delivery for the 3rd consecutive year by Healthgrades.
Additional recent accolades include Healthgrades’ America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery Award and 100 Best for Spine Surgery recognition. Mercy has been nationally recognized by Healthgrades for Orthopedic Services for the past 4 years, Spine Surgery for the past 3 years, named among the top 10% in the nation for Joint Replacement, and has received 5-star ratings for many surgical procedures, including Hip Fracture Treatment, Spinal Fusion Surgery, and others.
About Mercy Medical Center
Founded in 1874, Mercy Medical Center is a Catholic health care facility, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, as well as a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Located in downtown Baltimore, Mercy is part of Mercy Health Services, Inc., an independent health care delivery system, which also includes Stella Maris, Central Maryland's largest long-term/geriatric care facility located in Timonium, MD, as well as a network of physician practice sites. MHS is governed by a 29 member, self-perpetuating board of trustees.
In 2010, Mercy's campus expanded with the addition of a new $400 million, 20-story state-of-the-art hospital, The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, which features 23 state-of-the-art operating rooms and 227 private inpatient rooms.
In 2003, Mercy opened The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center, a signature $42 million outpatient center featuring expressive, metropolitan architecture as well as a new parking center. The Weinberg Center houses the renowned Weinberg Center for Women's Health & Medicine as well as the acclaimed Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy.
About Stella Maris – Long Term Care Facility
Stella Maris is a nonprofit, long-term care facility, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercy Health Services, located in Timonium, Maryland. For more than 60 years, Stella Maris has offered a comprehensive range of health and residential services for the care of the elderly from retirement through the end of life. Since 1983, Stella Maris has provided both inpatient and home hospice care, and established one of the first hospice care programs in Maryland. Stella Maris opened the Sister Karen McNally, RSM Rehabilitation Center in September 2020, a $30 million state-of-the-art rehab facility designed to help patients achieve successful post-surgical goals and ease their transition to returning home. Other services offered by Stella Maris include long-term and dementia care, home health and personal care, counseling and bereavement services, medical care, pastoral care, and a senior day center.
About Mercy Ridge – Retirement Community
Located adjacent to Stella Maris in Timonium, Maryland, Mercy Ridge Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) features a carefully tended and beautifully landscaped 32-acre campus. The grounds, dining and recreational amenities, and residences are designed to provide a gracious retirement lifestyle and a variety of exciting activities. Mercy Ridge is committed to providing equal housing opportunities for all races, religions, ethnic groups and disabilities. Mercy Ridge is a joint venture between Mercy Health Services and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
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