Mercy goes back to school with kids

With 36,000 employees and 30 hospitals in a four-state area, when the Sisters of Mercy reach out to support school kids throughout the Midwest, it's no small matter. Every year Mercy physicians and co-workers donate thousands of dollars in goods and services by providing bus loads of school supplies, free immunizations, hair cuts, sports physicals and much more.

"This is the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy who began caring for children in Dublin, Ireland, almost 200 years ago," said Lynn Britton, president and CEO of the Sisters of Mercy Health System. "Today the ministry still remains strong, and our co-workers find innovative ways to support our local school kids in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma."

Here's an example of Mercy's back-to-school support:

Mercy Physician Group in Fort Scott provided 301 sports/activity physicals at the low cost of $10 per student. These exams would normally cost $82; saving school kids families $21,672. Plus the proceeds from the $10 fee were donated directly back to the students' school district activity funds to help with equipment or supply purchases.

This is just one of the many ways that the Mercy Ministry strives to make a difference among each community served.

Mercy -- Sisters of Mercy Health System -- is the eighth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. and includes 30 hospitals and more than 1,300 integrated physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.