A Brief History of St. John’s Mercy Hospital

The year 2001 marked St. John’s Mercy Hospital’s 75th year in Washington, Mo., and its 25th year as a member of the Sisters of Mercy Health System.

Rich in history, St. John’s Mercy got its start when a 1918 flu epidemic in Washington clearly established a need for a hospital in that area. Due to lack of funding and staff to support a hospital, however, it was not until 1926 that actual construction was completed. The three-story, 50-bed St. Francis Hospital, named for the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis who owned and staffed the facility, was located where the Mercy Doctors Building sits today.

By 1938, the hospital had grown out of the confines of its structure and plans for expansion were soon under way. Unfortunately, high construction costs and World War II delayed the project for over a decade. The renovation was completed in 1949, increasing the hospital’s capacity to 140 beds.

By 1964, St. Francis Hospital was the third largest employer in Washington, with 223 employees, and continued to grow. With 1974 came more construction for St. Francis – a new, 185-bed hospital located just east of the old facility. Under a new roof and new management, the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, St. Francis continued to meet the needs of the growing region.

In 1976, St. Francis Hospital merged with St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, a member of the Sisters of Mercy Health System. Under the new management, the hospital was renamed St. Francis Mercy Hospital. The following year, the original hospital was completely renovated and reopened as the Mercy Doctors Building.

In 1982, the hospital was renamed St. John’s Mercy Hospital. Today, the 187-bed hospital continues to meet the needs of the region with 144 physicians on staff and 790 employees. St. John’s Mercy Hospital is a five-time Solucient Top 100 Hospital, and received the prestigious Primaris Hospital Quality Award in 2005.