Mercy Hospital gets $5M boost for Fore River project

Courtesy / Mercy Hospital Charlie Therrien, president of Mercy Hospital, addresses the hospital's centennial annual meeting Wednesday night, at which a $5 million pledge by the Mercy Endowment Foundation to the hospital's $20 million capital campaign was announced.

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Mercy Hospital’s efforts to consolidate operations at its Fore River campus in Portland received a significant contribution to its capital campaign Wednesday, thanks to a $5 million pledge by the Mercy Endowment Foundation.

Sister Jacqueline Marie Kieslich, president of the Northeast Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, announced at the annual meeting the completion of the $5 million pledge by the foundation to the $20 million “One Mercy” Fore River II capital campaign.

An additional $1 million will be transferred to the EMHS Foundation from the Mercy Endowment Foundation, said Sister Miriam Therese Callnan, president of MEF.

This marks the first time in Mercy’s 100-year history that it will have a permanent fund to support its operations.

“We believe Mercy’s health care mission is vital to the greater Portland community,” Kieslich said in a news release. “These gifts underscore our confidence in the direction of the hospital and our conviction that the ministry of compassionate healthcare for all established in 1918 will continue to flourish through the many people who continue to make Mercy ‘Mercy.’”

MEF’s $5 million gift to the One Mercy capital campaign is one of many substantial gifts it has made to the hospital over the years, including $8 million for the initial Fore River project and $3 million for the cardiology department. The gifts received to date exceed $25 million in today’s dollars.

“We are humbled by these significant gifts,” said Mercy Hospital President Charlie Therrien. “The Sisters of Mercy started a very special health care ministry a century ago in response to Portland’s needs and the urgency of the Spanish flu, and these gifts will help ensure we carry on their legacy for another 100 years.”

Last month, Mercy announced it filed a letter of intent to consolidate hospital operations on its Fore River campus. The hospital launched a capital campaign last year to raise $20 million to support the project.

“We are committed to stewarding and building the endowment as part of the overall fundraising program for both the capital campaign and ongoing annual fundraising,” stated Susan Rouillard, vice president of philanthropy for Mercy. “We are honored the foundation’s trustees have entrusted us to build upon the legacy of the James A. Healy family, whose generosity more than 70 years ago led to the establishment of the Mercy Endowment Foundation, which has been shepherded by the Sisters of Mercy.”

About Mercy Hospital

Mercy Hospital is a member of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems. Mercy provides a broad range of medical and surgical services through six primary care locations, five express care locations and 22 sub-specialty physician practices ranging from cardiology and spine surgery to ENT and cancer care. Mercy Hospital also includes Gary’s House and McAuley Residence. .

About EMHS

EMHS is an integrated health delivery system based in Brewer serving the state of Maine. With a workforce of more than 12,000, EMHS offers a broad range of health care services and providers, including nine hospitals, physician practices, long-term care, home health and hospice, ground and air emergency transport, and population health management.