For Immediate Release

Mercy in National Spotlight Again

Oklahoma City — Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City joins the ranks again of such distinguished hospitals as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and M.D. Anderson for providing exceptional care. Mercy, the first hospital in Oklahoma to be awarded Magnet status, was re-designated today as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

“We are honored to be a Magnet hospital — among the top three percent of hospitals in the nation for the care our patients receive,” said Jim Gebhart, president of Mercy Health Center. “Magnet is the gold standard in nursing.”

After another rigorous application process and onsite inspection that all Magnet facilities have to undergo in full every four years, the ANCC re-designated Mercy with Magnet status. The ANCC, an arm of the American Nurses Association, is the nation’s leading nursing credentialing center. The ANCC looks at every area of a hospital’s operation.

Studies have shown that Magnet-designated facilities: • Report higher patient satisfaction rates • Deliver better patient outcomes • Consistently outperform non-magnet organizations • Provide more nursing care at the bedside of patients • Have shorter length of patient stay • Have lower patient mortality rates • Have lower incidence of needle stick injuries • Enjoy increased nurse retention and recruitment rates • Report lower rates of nurse burnout and higher rates of job satisfaction

“Magnet hospitals are magnets for nurses,” said Linda Fanning, Mercy’s chief nursing officer. “These are difficult times across the nation with the economic situation and nursing shortage. The reality is Magnet hospitals are better tooled to weather the storms and still provide quality patient care.”

Mercy Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System.

Press release dated: December 14, 2009