Mercy Care Foundation names Steve Siler president

Mercy Care Foundation names Steve Siler president

Steve Siler, campaign director for Coxe Curry & Associates for the last three years, starts as position as Mercy Care Foundation president on Monday, Aug. 8. Siler is replacing Bonnie Hardage who served as president from 2012 to 2016 before moving onto the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation in May.

"Steve's background and history with Mercy Care makes him a perfect fit," said Tom Andrews, president and CEO of Saint Joseph's Health System which includes Mercy Care, Mercy Care Rome and Mercy Care Foundation. "We were impressed with Steve in 2013 when he worked on Mercy Care's capital campaign feasibility study. At the same time, he learned to love our mission and understand the impact we have on the community. "

Before Coxe Curry, Steve spent five years with the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta as executive director of the stewardship office. He spent 15 years at St Pius X Catholic High School, first as a teacher and coach and then as director of development for nine years prior to joining the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to work for an organization with such a rich and lengthy history in Atlanta," Siler said. "Mercy Care's healing ministry meets already vulnerable people at their most vulnerable times of illness--many of whom have nowhere else to turn. Few things could be more rewarding than helping to relieve people of their suffering and return them to health."

Siler is taking the helm at an exciting time. In addition to supporting the early 2017 opening of the 45,000-square-foot Mercy Care facility in Chamblee, which will serve the primary care needs of the area's Hispanic, elderly and lower-income population, there are two fundraising events this fall. The annual Mercy Care Golf Classic on September 19 and the Harvest Hootenanny on October 23, a new event created to support Mercy Care at the City of Refuge.

"My predecessor did a wonderful job building a solid team and keeping it focused on furthering the Mercy mission," Siler said. "The Foundation's board, staff and the entire Mercy Care organization has succeeded stupendously in completing a major capital campaign to build its new Chamblee clinic.

"I want to ensure we build on this terrific success and continue to move Mercy forward."

For more information about Mercy Care, visit mercyatlanta.org.

About Mercy Care

Since the 1980s, Mercy Care has been a healing presence among Atlanta's homeless and uninsured populations by being a reliable provider of high-quality integrated care. In the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, care reflects an understanding of and respect for vulnerable patients. As coverage and access to care issues persist, a growing number of families and individuals rely on Mercy Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center, to meet their primary healthcare needs. With a network of 10 fixed sites and five mobile clinics, excellent medical care is provided by a mix of physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, optometrists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and medical assistants. While most are employed, many volunteer their time.

By providing a medical home for patients, Mercy Care alleviates the burden on hospital emergency rooms throughout metro Atlanta. In addition to primary care, dental and vision, an array of critical wrap around services including recuperative care, prenatal education, integrated behavioral health, Street Medicine, infectious disease testing and treatment and homeless case management are available.

In 2015, Mercy Care provided services to over 12,000 patients. Eighty-eight percent of Mercy Care patients are uninsured, but one hundred percent receive care thanks to grants, endowments and private donors. Only six percent of Mercy Care costs are covered by patients who have some kind of insurance reimbursement or who pay based on a sliding scale.

Through philanthropy, the Mercy Care Foundation honors the heritage and advances of the Sisters of Mercy through stewardship of resources that support Mercy Care's healing mission.