Via Christi Health is welcoming Mercy Regional Health Center as the new Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, a move that strengthens Catholic healthcare in Kansas and expands the integrated continuum of care for the state’s largest healthcare system.
The internal process of formally introducing the Via Christi Mission, Values, brand and Catholic heritage to Mercy’s leaders and associates began March 20 with a Mass at the hospital, celebrated by the Most Rev. Edward Weisenburger, Bishop of the Diocese of Salina. The Mass was followed by a commissioning ceremony at which associates received a Via Christi Health pin. (See video.)
A public celebration is planned for April 24, in Manhattan, with a blessing by Bishop Weisenburger, a groundbreaking for a $15.5 million construction project to complete a medical office building adjacent to the hospital, and a community barbecue.
Mercy Regional Health Center was formed in 1996 when The Saint Mary Hospital, a Catholic health center founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, and Memorial Hospital were combined. Until 2014, Via Christi and the Memorial Hospital Association (MHA) had a joint 50-50 ownership of Mercy, with Via Christi providing management services.
In February 2014, the MHA transferred its ownership of Mercy to Via Christi in a change that enhances care for those who are poor and vulnerable in the Flint Hills region of northeastern Kansas while also providing needed capital improvements to expand the medical center in Manhattan.
During the Mass at the hospital launching the start of the rebranding process, Bishop Weisenburger said the change advances Catholic healthcare.
“Medical care is a ministry in the name of Christ and His church when the starting point is always compassion – and that’s for every patient who comes in the front door,” Bishop Weisenburger said. “This is a memorable day. We continue now with the great work that has been done in this medical facility, but we continue it now, unabashedly, as a Catholic ministry.”
During the pinning ceremony, Doug Hinkin, MD, a family physician and chair of the Mercy Board of Directors, said becoming a full member of Via Christi and its parent organization, Ascension, the largest Catholic and non-profit health system in the nation, would ensure the community hospital’s future success.
“We need to position ourselves to be a successful hospital for many years to come to continue to serve our patients, and working with Via Christi will allow us to do so,” Dr. Hinkin said.
Via Christi President and CEO Jeff Korsmo recognized several members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, who attended the Mass, and welcomed Mercy’s leaders, physicians and associates into Via Christi.
“I am here to honor each of you on this important day, to thank you for bringing the healing ministry of Christ to our patients and our community, and to welcome you fully into the Via Christi and Ascension community,” he said. “As Mercy Regional Health Center, you have been a vibrant part of Via Christi for years, models in many ways for the rest of us. We come together to become part of -- and contribute to -- something with greater potential to thrive in the future.”
Via Christi also operates a Via Christi Village senior care residence in Manhattan and home medical services. It plans to further integrate and coordinate home care, physician clinics, hospitals and senior services to improve the health of the populations it serves in Manhattan and the surrounding region.
John Broberg, the senior administrator for the Manhattan hospital, said patients and their families will benefit from the change. “Under the Via Christi brand,” he said, “our patients will continue to see our commitment to compassionate healthcare and to providing excellent care to every person every time.”
