The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
As McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital winds down operations in Maumee, Mercy Health is poised to offer a smooth continuum of care to area patients as well as a secure place to work for transitioning employees, said Bob Baxter, president of Mercy Health Toledo.
More than 400 McLaren St. Luke’s staff members, including 159 registered nurses, have signed commitment letters indicating they will join the Mercy Health ministry once McLaren completes the closing and releases them from employment. This is key as Mercy Health remains dedicated to fill the gap left in the health care community, Baxter said.
McLaren Health Care and Mercy Health remain in the process of finalizing an asset purchase agreement in which Mercy Health will acquire the McLaren St. Luke’s facilities, land and physical assets, pending final due diligence. As this transition continues, Mercy Health is committed to engaging the community to develop a thoughtful go-forward plan, Baxter said.
Additionally, Mercy Health is working with WellCare Physicians Group-affiliated practices through the transition with the goal of maintaining continuity of patient care. Mercy Health will ensure McLaren St. Luke’s patients in need of care can easily access Mercy Health health care services by calling (888) 987-6372.
“Health care has faced several challenges in recent years, and we are thankful for McLaren St. Luke’s role in providing medical services for our region, especially through the recent pandemic,” Baxter said. “Although it is always difficult to say goodbye to such a valued member of our community, Mercy Health wants to assure area residents that we are here to care for them with the same great care they have grown to expect.”
During this transition process, Mercy Health has invested in building the staff at its Perrysburg hospital, which is the closest full-service hospital to the Maumee community.
As one of seven Mercy Health hospitals, the Perrysburg location offers a 24/7 emergency room, state-of-the-art surgical center including robotics, 46 private inpatient rooms, an outpatient pharmacy, and lab and imaging services – including 3-D mammography – on-site. It also houses one-of-a-kind services such as the region’s only Gamma Knife and Wood County’s only heart catheterization lab.
Mercy Health’s presence in the Perrysburg area began in 2013 with the opening of the area’s first freestanding emergency department. Since then, the emergency department team has been nationally lauded for patient experience, including most recently being awarded the 2022 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Satisfaction. These awards are given annually to health care establishments that sustain performance in the top 5 percent in the nation based on one year of data.
In 2016, Mercy Health added a state-of-the-art cancer center to its Perrysburg campus. Complete with medical, radiation and surgical oncology services, and now the Gamma Knife technology, the Mercy Health Perrysburg Cancer Center remains a leader in cancer treatment in the area, Baxter said. Additionally, Mercy Health oncology nurse navigators, access to National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials and a partnership with The Victory Center offer patients, survivors and their families the highest level of personalized care.
Recognizing the need to offer more than emergency care in the community, Mercy Health in 2018 realized plans to bring the community a full-service hospital, with the opening of 18 inpatient rooms. In May 2019, Mercy Health introduced the community to a full-service hospital, ex-panding the number of inpatient rooms and offering the most up-to-date surgical suites and the most modern imaging and surgery technology. Also on-site are Mercy Health primary care doctors and specialists, as well as Toledo Cardiology Consultants, Arrowhead Plastic Surgery and Toledo Surgery Assoc-iates.
“Mercy Health Perrys-burg Hospital is uniquely positioned to offer residents in Perrysburg, Maumee, Waterville and nearby communities prompt access to high-quality care close to home,” Baxter said. “Five years after accepting our first patient in Perrysburg, Mercy Health is grateful for the community’s continued support and looks forward to continuing to expand health and wellness services needed in the area.”
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To celebrate five years of providing the area with comprehensive health care, Mercy Health is hosting a five-year anniversary celebration and community open house at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19 at Mercy Health Perrysburg Hospital, 12623 Eckel Junction Rd., Perrysburg.
For more information, visit mercy.com or call (567) 368-1000.
