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In September 1921, a group of city leaders decided to construct a community hospital. The board purchased the property in February of 1922 and opened the 20-bed facility in 1923. By 1937, the hospital doubled its size. It now had 50 beds and the grounds had been lowered to give a "sunken gardens" appearance. Mercy later became incorporated on December 8, 1948, and in 1949 the Dominican Sisters of Kenosha, Wisconsin began to manage Mercy. In May 1996, Mercy Hospital joined Catholic Healthcare West, a system of hospitals, ancillary facilities, home care and physician organizations in California, Arizona and Nevada. Today, this 115-bed acute care hospital specializes in surgical services, critical care, laboratory, radiology, respiratory services and an accredited sleep disorder lab.

In addition, the organization, in conjunction with UC Davis Medical Center, recently opened the Mercy Cancer Center, located in North Merced. The center provides full-service cancer treatments for those who have been diagnosed with this disease. Services will include radiation oncology, telemedicine services, comprehensive disease management and prevention and education information.

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In 1873, Merced Community Medical Center opened on East North Bear Creek as a small one story wooden building.  For 31 years, the hospital served the county's sick and indigent patients. In 1904, a new facility was built on 15th Street and in 1939 a new wing was added for children and maternity cases. The hospital continued to grow with the construction of a $1.1 million facility in June 1950. Further additions included, an $8.3 million addition in December 1979 and the tower building. In 1997, the county approved Sutter Health to lease what was recently called Sutter Merced Medical Center. The 174-bed acute care facility specializes in intensive care and emergency care, cardiac, obstetric, surgical, diagnostic and rehabilitative services and a children's unit. The hospital also provides a Family Practice Residency Program with UC Davis.

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Mercy and Sutter initiated a series of discussions in the fall of 1999, with the intent of finding the best direction to meet the hospital and healthcare needs of the citizens of Merced County.  Our hospitals faced combined potential investments of up to $200 million to replace existing facilities due to a variety of causes including legislation enacted after the Northridge Earthquake, which mandates seismic survivability of hospitals. These expenditures have created identical services in two locations, severely limiting each hospital's ability to upgrade existing services or provide new specialty services that are not currently available in our community.

These realities have surfaced the potential to build a single, large hospital and achieve efficiencies that would support the addition of sophisticated medical services that are not currently available locally. Cost-efficiencies also bolster the ability to provide top quality services to the county’s indigent population. And, the expansion of more specialized services greatly enhances the ability to recruit additional clinical and medical staff to the area.

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On April 1, 2001, Mercy Hospital and Health Services assumed the lease of Sutter Merced Medical Center, bringing a new name in healthcare to our community...Mercy Medical Center Merced. With our new name, comes a renewed promise to provide our community with the quality and excellence that you’ve come to appreciate from our hospitals. Whether you choose our Dominican Campus on M and Bear Creek, or our Community Campus on 13th Street, you'll find a renewed spirit and our promise to serve you with HEART- Hospitality, Excellence, Attitude, Responsibility and Teamwork.

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By working together, Mercy employees, volunteers and physicians will meet the health care needs of today, while we enhance, expand and create the health care system of the future.

Mercy is currently designing a 185 bed replacement facility in North Merced, located next to the Mercy Cancer Center/an affiliate of the UC Davis Cancer Network. The new medical center is scheduled to open in 2009 and offer the latest in facility design and technology.

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