Pittsburgh Mercy
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, established in 1847, was the first hospital in Pittsburgh and the first Mercy Hospital in the world. In 2008, and due to financial difficulties, the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh made the excruciatingly difficult decision to sell the hospital to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)--a large health care organization in the area, which was looking to expand. UPMC did not want the community-based health care services of behavioral health, intellectual disabilities, and services for people who are homeless. Recalling the feet-on-the-street approach of the first seven Sisters who came to Pittsburgh in 1843, the Sisters gladly retained these services calling them Pittsburgh Mercy. Pittsburgh Mercy does not have a hospital. Rather, we provide services in homes, residential facilities and day-care centers, under bridges and on the streets of Pittsburgh. We are 1,700 dedicated colleagues who serve approximately 33,000 people annually.