Jefferson Regional Medical Center to Join Mercy

Mercy, the Chesterfield based Catholic health care system, will "partner" with Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Festus. The hospital is about 17 miles south of Arnold.

Jefferson Regional is a privately owned not-for-profit hospital established in 1957. Mercy is the sixth largest Catholic health care system with 31 hospitals in four states.

Formerly known as the Sisters of Mercy Health System, Mercy runs one of the St. Louis County's most respected hospitals: Mercy Hospital St. Louis. That hospital is better known locally as St. John's, but also changed it's name last summer when the entire Mercy system changed it's name and logo to reflect its common purpose.

According to a press release from August 15, the terms for the partnership include Mercy’s commitment to "significant capital improvements in upgraded and expanded facilities."

"We are so pleased to take this next step forward in our relationship with Jefferson Regional," said Donn Sorensen, regional president for Mercy’s east Missouri region. "While there are customary issues to address during due diligence, what we know is that Mercy and Jefferson Regional share common beliefs in how we treat our co-workers, how we care for our patients and how we serve our communities. We believe these shared principles put us in an ideal place to move forward in anticipation of a strong future together."