St. Louis
Together we can touch more lives. Save more lives. And improve more lives.
Who We Are
Through collaborative partnerships,
Mercy Health Foundation impacts the flourishing of our communities by inviting into our ministry those who have a passion to improve quality of life and make care accessible for all.
Mercy was founded in gratitude.
When a young Irish woman named Catherine McAuley received an unexpected inheritance, she gave thanks to God and her benefactor. Catherine used those funds to open the first house of Mercy, serving impoverished women and children in Dublin. Catherine founded the Sisters of Mercy, a new kind of religious community – one that lived outside cloistered walls. The sisters were known as the “walking Sisters” because of their willingness to go out and serve the community.
The Sisters of Mercy arrived in St. Louis in 1856 to help the poor and the sick, and their mission continues today at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. The campus includes an 859-bed, fully accredited teaching hospital, a heart and vascular hospital, cancer center, children’s hospital, surgery center and skilled nursing center. Like the Sisters who pioneered health care at the gateway to the west, Mercy remains forward-thinking and continues delivering exceptional and compassionate care in St. Louis.
Catherine’s legacy lives on through the generous gifts of donors like you. Gifts to Mercy Health Foundation St. Louis support critical projects in this community. That’s right. Every dollar you give advances health care right here at home.
Cardiac Services
Mercy’s Heart Failure Center is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of heart failure.
Patients benefit from Mercy’s streamlined inpatient heart failure service and a formalized multidisciplinary outpatient clinic. Funds raised by Mercy Health Foundation St. Louis will enhance the quality of care for heart failure patients by funding non-invasive imaging techniques such as cardiac MRI and expansion of cutting-edge research and clinical trials for medical and device therapies.
Autism
Catherine McAuley, Mercy’s Founder, had a particular concern for the poor. Even more specifically, she worked to assist children in need.
Donors like you continue Catherine’s legacy by supplementing the needs of Mercy Kids Autism Center. With the goal of providing comprehensive autism services for the children and families of the St. Louis and St. Charles County regions, the center creates innovative programs for infants and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder that expedite processes of care, improve access to evidence-based treatments and maximize long-term outcomes.
Cancer
Thousands of cancers are diagnosed annually in the David C. Pratt Cancer Center. Mercy’s oncologists offer advanced treatment for the most challenging diseases while keeping patients close to home, but they can’t do it alone.
Mercy Health Foundation St. Louis is committed to supporting Mercy’s significant investment in new technology that will save lives and improve quality of life for fighters and survivors of cancer. Advancements will include powerful proton therapy options, expansion and enhancement of clinical space and wrap-around services such as oncology patient navigators for patients at every stage in their journey.
Cancer knows no age, which is why the Foundation is making a meaningful investment in the development of an adolescent and young adult cancer program. Patients between ages 15 and 30 often fall through a gap in between those services specialized for small children and those for mature adults. The comprehensive program will be tailored to meet the challenges unique to adolescents and young adults battling cancer.
Neurosciences
Mercy physicians are using world class techniques and equipment to diagnose and treat stroke patients. Your gifts help us bring transformative and life-saving advancements to your friends and neighbors. With a focus on neurosciences, Mercy Health Foundation St. Louis seeks to fund stroke nurse navigators, who will follow patients throughout their hospital stay to remove barriers, reduce stress and enhance communication among patients, their families and clinical staff. The Foundation’s efforts will also provide for night shift navigators to improve patient monitoring and data collection, and to deliver smoother care transitions for stroke patients.
Grateful Families
Mercy patients and their families often want to say “thanks” in some special way for the exceptional care they received. Our Grateful Families program is one way to express gratitude while helping share the gift of healing with others. Learn more.
16th Annual Benefit for Mercy Kids
Thank you for helping us raise more than $2.5 million for Mercy Kids at the 2019 Benefit for Mercy Kids.
Click here to learn more.
Annual Report | FY 2019
Thank you for your generous support and partnership as we continue to carry out Mercy’s mission in the communities we serve.