Mercy wraps up $7.5M expansion at Springfield hospital

Mercy Springfield Communities completed a $7.5 million expansion at its Queen City hospital.

Health care system officials held a blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony today for the new Mercy Kids emergency room, according to a news release. The expansion is located in front of the existing ER – facing National Avenue on the campus of Mercy Hospital Springfield. It opens to patients June 8.

“Seeing adults in crisis or with traumatic injuries can be really frightening for kids,” said Dr. Anna Grimes, Mercy Kids emergency physician, in the release. “This ER eliminates that, with a separate, child-friendly waiting area, 11 exam rooms and a sensory room for children who have autism or anxiety.”

General contractor McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. broke ground on the 6,300-square-foot project in August 2019, according to past reporting. It was designed by The Lamar Johnson Collaborative LLC.

The ER is funded entirely through donations, including $1.5 million from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Inc., Springfield Business Journal previously reported.