Fort Scott / Kansas / United States
ercy Health System of Kansas, Inc had very modest beginnings. Two sisters of Mercy arrived in Fort Scott, Kansas on April 26, 1896. They were from Big Rapids, Michigan, on their way to California. They stopped for Sunday services and were offered hospitality for the weekend in Fort Scott. During that visit, the parish priest related to them the needs of the people in this area. He was so convincing in his story that the Sisters decided not to go to California, but to return to Michigan to request permission to move to Fort Scott where there was grave need for a school. Father Watron, the parish priest, had received word that the Sisters would return. He though that a school was in great demand. However, as he started talking with the people in Fort Scott, it was determined that the greatest need was for a hospital, not a school. A hospital was prepared for the Sisters to manage upon their return. Upon their arrival, they found a small hospital of 10 beds ready and waiting for operation. Since the Sisters had experience with caring for the sick and injured prior to coming to Fort Scott, they set about opening Mercy Hospital. Operations began with the two Sisters and two lay women, one as a night nurse, the other as business manager. This hospital served the community for a few years, but it was too small to meet the communitys needs. Land was donated on Tower Hill (Burke Street) and a 50-bed, four-story structure was erected. This new facility was the pride of the city. It cost $40, 000 and was the largest, most modern hospital in eastern Kansas. In 1929, some local physicians thought an alternative hospital was necessary, so a second hospital was opened in downtown Fort Scott. Now the civic community had a choice between Mercy Hospital and the Fort Scott Hospital. In a few years, beds in the Burke Street hospital were scarce. So in 1929, arrangements were made to sell the Fort Scott, or Main Street Hospital, to the Sisters of Mercy to serve as an annex to Mercy Hospital. nother opportunity was presented to the Sisters of Mercy when a group of physicians who owned and operated a 35-bed hospital in Independence, KS made a decision to sell this hospital to a Sisterhood. The physicians realized their limitations as business managers. They contacted the Sisters of Mercy in Fort Scott, and plans were set in motion for the purchase of this facility. When all negotiations were completed, the Sisters of Mercy wrote a check for $35, 000 for the West Side Hospital and assumed ownership on March 1, 1927. Only months after the opening of Mercy Hospital in Independence, the community evidenced the need for more hospital beds, including operating rooms and other support service areas. Plans were begun to build a 50-bed addition. Construction went underway in Sept. 1928, and the project was completed and turned over for occupancy April 19, 1929. All of this was accomplished without interrupting service. The mission of the two Mercy Hospitals was progressing nicely. Well qualified physicians settled in Fort Scott and Independence following World War II. Mercy Hospitals continued to provide excellent service to the communities. outheast Kansas experienced growth following the war. This presented a problem of crowding, especially in the Fort Scott Hospital. So in 1954, plans for a new hospital in Fort Scot were made. On Jan. 19, 1956, the newly constructed Mercy Hospital at 821 Burke Street was opened. There have been renovations and additions to the facility throughout the years. Growth in the community, changes in health care delivery and the development of newer technologies again pointed to the fact that the hospital facility in Independence was not adequate to meet the needs of the community. n June 1960, plans were completed for the expansion project of Mercy Hospital. Independence was proud of the new construction which was a "round" concept, the very latest design for hospitals. There have been other additions to Mercy-Independence. In
