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The monthslong process of transferring ownership of the former Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas, to Mercy is complete. The transaction was officially finalized Sept. 1.

"It has taken a lot of work by a lot of people and a lot of patience and grace from our newest Mercy co-workers, but we couldn't be more excited to officially call them co-workers at Mercy Hospital Pittsburg," said Jeremy Drinkwitz, president of Mercy Joplin communities. "I want to thank everyone involved in this transition and welcome everyone to Mercy. We intend to hit the ground running in Pittsburg and get started on the work of not only continuing but expanding the legacy of health care in the community."

Mercy Hospital Pittsburg is the third Mercy hospital in Kansas, joining Mercy Hospital Columbus and Mercy Specialty Hospital - Southeast Kansas (in Galena, KS). Mercy also operates two primary care clinics in Pittsburg, the practices of Drs. Holly Cranston and Jacqueline Orender. The Mercy Joplin communities include clinics and hospitals in Joplin, Carthage, Columbus, Galena, Webb City, Neosho and now Pittsburg.

Mercy believes bringing the former Via Christi hospital into its expansive network of care will serve the community for years to come, providing access to the benefits that come from being part of Mercy and working side-by-side with innovators and industry leaders including Mayo Clinic and Microsoft to develop new methods of delivering health care that can be especially impactful in rural communities.

"Whenever Mercy joins a new community, we want to hear from that community about what we can do to improve care and access for patients," Drinkwitz said. "We want to ensure we are providing the right care where it's needed so patients can stay close to home. We'll be looking for the best ways to grow the already great services in place."

While Mercy Hospital Pittsburg is up and running and the transaction is now complete, in keeping with Mercy's long-held tradition, a ribbon-cutting and welcome reception will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11 for established and new Mercy co-workers, community leaders and the public.

Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.