Our Legacy of Care

The Sisters spread compassionate service to places they never dreamed of, “taking healthcare where it’s needed most”, ultimately leading them to open their first U.S. hospital in Pittsburgh.

Moved by their compassionate care of soldiers during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln commissions artist Florence Meyers to paint a Sister of Mercy nurse on the battlefield.

The Daily Constitution reports the opening of Atlanta’s first hospital: “The new institution…is controlled by the Sisters of Mercy whose beautiful ministries to the afflicted are known to all.”

Saint Joseph’s Hospital relocates to the Perimeter. Teams of nurses, doctors, Sisters and volunteers take to downtown streets with bandages and medications to care for Atlanta’s growing homeless population. They begin by washing feet.

Generosity and providential guidance transform tackle boxes into a medical dispensary and coaches into clinics. Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services incorporated on November 22, 1985, marking the “Second Founding Moment.” The Sisters of Mercy, joined by donors, friends and co-workers, committed to bring healthcare to those who are most vulnerable.

Once again, Mercy Care Services takes to the streets. A huge, beautiful Mercy Mobile medical coach is a visible source of care by “taking healthcare where it’s needed most.” Mercy Care is designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), specifically focusing on the homeless population.

Continuing the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy who “stepped into the need,” Mercy Care established its first community-based HIV prevention services program. This is the same year that Congress created the National Commission on AIDS, and the number of reported AIDS cases in the U.S. reached 100,000.

Mercy Care grows quickly. Donors fund the openings of a downtown office/clinic location on Decatur Street, and a clinic to serve an uninsured, largely Hispanic population on Buford Highway.

Mercy Care begins offering vision care services.

The Mercy Moves Through Me Award is established to mark the 20th Anniversary of Mercy Care. The first honorees were U. S. Representative John Lewis and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

Through generous donors, the Decatur Street site expands its clinic and creates space for a fleet of outreach vehicles and mobile medical coaches. At The Gateway, Mercy Care opens a new Recuperative Care Program for homeless patients discharged from Grady. All sites focus on quality standards, including CARF accreditation (2006), electronic health records implementation and “meaningful use” recognition.

Saint Joseph’s Health System entrusts hospital management to Emory Healthcare, forming a Joint Operating Company. Mercy Care builds out its infrastructure and recognizes a “Third Founding Moment,” renewing with vigor and singular focus the mission to bring healthcare with excellence and compassion to persons who are poor and marginalized.

Five Mercy Care clinics earn Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition. A nighttime Street Medicine Program is underway, and Mercy Care dedicates increased resources to meet patients’ behavioral health needs. Partnerships with Grady, Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory medical students, Gateway and City of Refuge, and other Community Health Centers improve our shared response to the needs of the community.

After 15 years on Buford Highway, Mercy Care replaces Mercy Care North with a 45,000-square-foot, LEED-certified clinic thanks to $14 million donated by 725 individuals, corporations and foundations. Mercy Care Chamblee opens April 18, featuring 24 exam rooms, six dental operatories, a vision center, lab and radiology services, and four rooms dedicated to health education.

Dedicated in 2022, Mercy Care’s Decatur Street headquarters and clinic expanded with an eye for future growth by adding to its dental hub, a wing devoted to behavioral health and education, a three-story resource center and administrative building, and a much-needed parking structure.

Together with several community partners, Mercy Care celebrated the grand opening of McAuley Station Phase I, delivering 170 high-quality, mixed-income apartments adjacent to the Mercy Care campus in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta. The $50 million development includes studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments for local families. Of the 170 total units, 10 are designated as transitional/respite units for Mercy Care patients and 30 studios will serve as permanent supportive housing through Fulton County’s Behavioral Health Department in partnership with Partners for HOME.