The first of three celebrations of milestones in the new wing of Mercy Hospital Clermont was celebrated Sept. 6 when the facility was officially dedicated with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Work began on the new three-story wing in September last year. Now, a limited portion of the structure is furnished and operational, with two more phases already underway to complete the facility.

“Although the morning is hazy, there is no doubt that the future for Mercy Clermont is perfectly clear,” said Mercy Clermont President and CEO Mark Shugarman. “Today marks a new era for our hospital. This brings a new look for us, that mirrors the high quality care that takes place in these walls. This confirms the growth of our campus, not only in the facility, but in quality of care. Our compassionate, advanced care continues to draw national accolades.”

Over the past few years, Mercy Clermont’s reputation has grown after receiving national attention for excellence in several areas. Recently, the hospital was named in the top 10 in quality care in the United States by an independent healthcare organization. Another such organization rated Mercy Clermont in the top 100 for performance improvement in the nation.

“Our medical staff today is more experienced and offers more diverse specialties than ever before,” Shugarman said. “We are poised to continue to grow and meet the needs of our community for many years to come.”

The three-story unit will eventually feature medical office space and outpatient services like physical therapy, speech therapy and cardiac rehab. It connects to the old portion of the hospital through a newly renovated entryway, and the expansion will allow the hospital intensive care unit to grow to 16 beds from 12. Medical and surgical beds will also be added, creating an additional 23 beds overall to the hospital. Sister Mary George Boklage, a former president and CEO of the hospital, blessed it in prayer and remembered how the hospital first began.

“I remember 33 years ago on Sept. 29 how it poured down rain,” said Boklage. “If my count is correct, this is the sixth dedication in this time. The original is the most memorable. It was pouring rain, and I made the comment that it wasn’t rain, but holy water. That was the only quote that was in the daily papers. It was God’s way of sending his blessing on the new hospital. As we look back, we can see how God has blessed this hospital. This expansion is just one more testament to the many God has sent our way. I’m proud to see that it bears the name ‘Mercy.’ May that name always reflects the spirit that radiates in the building and the people who work in it. The true mercy spirit is compassion, love and the need to help those in need.”

Boklage said that the responsibility of the hospital is to attend to the needs of all people, to help whenever possible and to act as a spiritual caregiver as well as a physical one. Tom Urban, President and CEO of the Mercy Health Partners in southwest Ohio said that this new expansion would aid in that be drawing additional qualified physicians to the area.

“We owe a lot to the many employees who have worked here over the years, the physicians and volunteers,” said Urban. “Through their efforts, we continue to serve our patients with new technology and new facilities designed to better meet the needs of the community.”

Throughout the ceremony, the hospital was often referred to as a ministry designed to improve the health of the community and serve the public regardless of their circumstance.

Urban said that the hospital should show it’s appreciation to the community for its support over the years, and George Shybut, MD, chief of staff at Mercy Clermont, said that the hospital has never been stronger.

“This is a great time to be involved with Mercy Clermont,” said Shybut. “There are exciting changes occurring. I’m extremely proud of the medical staff. Many of them are the most talented and compassionate physicians I’ve worked with. We have a tremendous medical staff here. It’s important we continue to grow to add to the quality of our services by adding new physicians, and this facility will aid us in that task.”

Before the ribbon was cut, Debbie Vickers, a registered nurse and manager at Mercy Clermont, summed up the new addition.

“As someone who started here, I’m an original, it’s amazing to see how the hospital has changed over the years,” said Vickers. “This addition is probably larger than the original building. We are thrilled with this, it’s beautiful.”