Mercy appoints new VP of mission, ethics

Darren Henson has joined Mercy Health System of Kansas as the Vice President of Mission Services, serving both Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott and Mercy Hospital in Independence.

At Mercy, Henson will be responsible for spiritual leadership and administrative duties to promote the mission of the Sisters of Mercy at the Independence and Fort Scott facilities and within both communities. His role also will involve directing educational efforts among co-workers and leading ethics committees and advocacy efforts at both facilities. All pastoral care personnel ultimately report to him, he said.

"I feel very fortunate to be part of Mercy, because as I was looking at various mission opportunities, Mercy very much (stood) out as being proactive in integrating their mission at all levels of our health care ministry," Henson said.

He added Mercy is doing some "very cutting-edge things" with mission leadership and patient care, such as MyMercy.net, which lets patients e-mail their physician and book appointments online, among other things.

Henson will lead several different mission initiatives, most notably advanced formation offered to managers, directors and senior leaders.

"We have ... a curriculum we use at all of our hospitals, so it's standard. We look at everything from prayer to spirituality to the healing ministry of the church, the Catholic social justice tradition, heritage of the Sisters of Mercy and ethics -- both clinical and corporate," Henson said.

The program, which all senior leadership is expected to participate in, is meant to help staff understand "these important foundational concepts within the Sisters of Mercy so they can become effective leaders in integrating those concepts in all aspects of our delivery of care and healing," Henson said.

Henson replaces Kathryn Abbey, who transferred to another Mercy facility in Ardmore, Okla., to be closer to her family.

"It takes a certain person to be able to really encompass all that the position needs to represent. Darren is incredible. His knowledge, his background, his enthusiasm for what he does. He's truly a wonderful Mercy fit," said Tina Rockhold, regional marketing & communication specialist media relations-Mercy Central Communities.

She said he lives in Independence, but will split his time equally between the facilities there and in Fort Scott.

Henson comes to Mercy from the Kansas City area, where he worked as a social service advocate with an acute care clinic called Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care in Kansas City, Kan.

The clinic provided care to an underserved population, many of whom were uninsured, Henson said.

His previous experience also includes a mission and ethics internship with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System office in Lenexa, project manager and chaplain with Bishop Miege High School in Leawood and associate pastor at Cure of Ars Catholic Church in that community.

He also previously served on the pastoral care staff for Newman Regional Health in Emporia.

Henson earned a master of divinity degree with distinction from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill., and a bachelor's degree in business administration/international business from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated summa cum laude from both institutions.

There are a couple of different ways someone can get to Henson's position. A candidate could work in a clinical role at a hospital, as a social worker or case manager, or as a nurse. In these roles, the person would be identified as someone with a "deep understanding" of the hospital's mission and values and "been able to articulate that through their line of work," Henson said.

"The second route is to be someone with a background in pastoral ministry who has been able to demonstrate an ability to apply that clearly and effectively within the clinical setting," Henson said. "My background in business administration, coupled with a spiritual background, has has been effective for me. I can relate things in meaningful ways to the executive staff."

For his position, Mercy requires a master's degree in theology.

If you don't have one, the hospital will give you a certain amount of time to earn one. "We're here to articulate the Catholic theological tradition, specifically caring for the poor and the healing ministry of Christ Jesus," he said.