Mercy Medical Center Joins Cleveland Clinic Health System

CANTON, Ohio: Cleveland Clinic and Sisters of Charity Health System officials announced today that Mercy Medical Center is now a full member of the Cleveland Clinic health system while maintaining its Catholic identity through sponsorship by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.

All services at Mercy Medical Center, including COVID-19 response, will proceed without interruption. Patients will continue to see their same physicians and providers at their current locations. Mercy Medical Center’s employees will continue delivering care, and all operations and appointments for inpatient and outpatient services will proceed as scheduled. All current insurance plans will be accepted at the hospital.

“Today, Mercy Medical Center is transitioning to new ownership after 115 years of care and service with my congregation, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. I want to take this moment to thank our Mercy family, as well as members of the Stark County community, who worked hand in hand with the Sisters of Charity since the beginning to provide for the health care needs of this community. Our hospital is well known for its life-saving patient care innovations, compassion and dedication, and that is why Mercy remains at the top for health care in the Stark County community,” said Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, congregational leader of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. “We appreciate that this legacy will continue and grow with Cleveland Clinic as it delivers quality care and respects the Catholic identity of this hospital carrying the vision well into the future.”

Becoming a full member of Cleveland Clinic brings many benefits, including expanding high-quality services; improving technology; providing support and investment to address additional needs in the community; building opportunities for physician collaboration; and increasing the ease of access to the most highly specialized services for patients in Stark County and surrounding communities.

“Mercy Medical Center has touched countless lives with high-quality, compassionate care. At Cleveland Clinic, this has also been our commitment for 100 years. Our mission is caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve,” said Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D. “We are united by a noble purpose to care for others. Together, we will deliver exceptional care to patients in Stark County and beyond as we continue the Catholic tradition of healing the body, mind and spirit.”

Mercy Medical Center will now be formally known as Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, a new name that reflects both organizations.

“Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital’s name brings together the renowned care of Cleveland Clinic, with the faith-based tradition of Mercy Medical Center,” said Donald A. Malone Jr., M.D., President of Cleveland Clinic’s Ohio Hospitals and Family Health Centers. “Our focus will be on ensuring a safe environment of care, caring for caregivers, and keeping Mercy Hospital strong to best serve our patients.”

Cleveland Clinic today named Timothy Crone, M.D., M.B.A, as the new president of Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital. Dr. Crone is an experienced leader, clinician and educator who since 2019 has been Chief Medical Officer at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, a 500-bed acute care hospital on Cleveland’s east side. His previous positions on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus include medical director of Enterprise Business Intelligence and Analytics in Medical Operations, and vice chairman for the Department of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Crone has been a staff hospitalist at Cleveland Clinic since 2010, and like other presidents at Cleveland Clinic’s regional hospitals, plans to serve in a clinical role caring for patients at Mercy Hospital.

“Joining Mercy Hospital caregivers at such a significant moment in their journey is a tremendous honor and privilege. I am truly impressed and inspired by our likeminded commitment to patients and Mercy’s eagerness to continuously improve quality and safety,” said Dr. Crone. “Together, we will carry Mercy Hospital’s Catholic mission forward through the current pandemic, and prepare to meet tomorrow’s healthcare needs for the community we serve.”

Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital becomes the 19th hospital in the Cleveland Clinic health system. It is a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties and parts of southeastern Ohio. It has 620 members on its medical staff and employs 2,700 people. U.S. News & World Report ranks Mercy Medical Center as 17th on its list of Ohio’s best hospitals. Mercy received an “A” in the most recently published safety grades by the Leapfrog Group.

“I know that Cleveland Clinic will support Mercy as it continues this legacy,” said Thomas J. Strauss, president & CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System. “I have always been moved by the compassion and commitment to high quality patient care within every Mercy caregiver. Throughout the pandemic, the faith-based mission of this hospital has been even more evident in everyone’s actions.”

Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital is located in the southern region of Cleveland Clinic’s service network in Ohio. Cleveland Clinic currently operates 12 regional hospitals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Tuscarawas counties. Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital will be the second Catholic-affiliated hospital to join the Cleveland Clinic health system. Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights, Ohio, was the first in the Cleveland Clinic health system.

Officials from the Cleveland Clinic and Sisters of Charity health systems announced in September 2019 that they had signed a letter of intent for Mercy Medical Center to become part of Cleveland Clinic. The work to finalize the agreement was briefly interrupted by the pandemic, and the required state and federal regulatory reviews were recently completed.

The agreement has met requirements of the Vatican and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.