Mercy Hospital Springfield

Today is our blood drive! Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will be set up inside the main hospital entrance from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

No appointment is needed, and all donors get a free t-shirt and two admissions to Dickerson Park Zoo.

And remember - all blood donated to CBCO goes to patients here in the Ozarks. ❤️

Half Pint is here to remind you that our next blood drive is tomorrow inside our main hospital entrance from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you've ever wondered how donated blood is used, it truly saves patient lives. And it's not just trauma patients who end up needing donor blood. Labor and delivery and oncology are two other departments that rely heavily on blood donations.

So help us save lives here in the Ozarks tomorrow, and come donate blood. We'll be ready with all kinds of snacks and giveaways for donors.

We recently celebrated our Caregiver Awards Banquet (with some Eras-themed fun), and we got to recognize our teams and caregivers who go out of their way to make sure our patients are cared for.

Meeting our patients' medical needs is just the beginning of how these teams provide care, and their hard work is repeatedly noticed by our patients, their families and our fellow caregivers who nominated this year's winners.

We also got to celebrate our caregivers who have been with Mercy for 30+ years, and we're always blown away by how many people have built their entire careers here at Mercy.

We've been hosting our NICU reunion at the hospital for more than 30 years, and this year, we teamed up with Children's Mercy and welcomed their NICU graduates as well.

Every year, we get to see several hundred kids who were once NICU patients with us. Most of these kiddos were only days, weeks or months old when our team cared for them. Many of them are now headed into their pre-teens, and we will never get tired of seeing them grow up and make so much progress.

Last night's lighting event to kick off breast cancer awareness month was a powerful reminder that no one diagnosed with cancer has to do it alone.

Breast cancer survivors, patients, community members and anyone impacted by breast cancer were invited to join us in the surgery center to watch as the hospital lights switched to bright pink.

It seemed almost magical that as our panel of physicians were answering questions from the audience and sharing updates on treatment plans, a rainbow appeared behind them. It felt like a moment of hope was captured in the sky.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, to the patients and survivors who shared their stories and questions, and the all our community partners who support our breast cancer patients every day including Edible Art who supplied the most beautiful charcuterie spread, Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks for helping make patients' daily lives a little easier as they go through treatment and The Only Facial Springfield for gifting facials to patients when they need a breast from the stress of treatment.

And thank you to our doctors who care for more than 500 breast cancer patients each year. As one of last night's attendees said... "thank you for choosing to help patients with breast cancer, and thank you for choosing Springfield."

We're honored to be a chapter in the story of Fort Smith's history of remarkable women. Keep your eyes out for this story in the coming months!

If you've been to a Mercy hospital today, you may have noticed that we're kicking off . The best way to join in on the celebration would be to schedule your mammogram! This 15-minute test could save your life. https://bit.ly/3TyDO50

You never know what you'll find when you clean up one of the many Greenways we have here in Springfield, and last week, our team found quite a random assortment.

Along with all kinds of cans, bottles and trash of all sorts, the team uncovered a bowling ball, dartboard, skateboard, a single stilt and a few other things that left us all scratching our heads.

Together, 23 volunteers collected 45 bags of trash from the Greenway. Thank you to everyone who was able to participate and to Erica and Alicia who host this local VTO project twice a year.

It warms our heart to see the Mercy team come together, roll up their sleeves and make a difference.

Ready for flu season? 🍂 Now’s a good time to get your vaccines on the calendar. Flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines each have different timing recommendations. Here’s when to get each one:

Flu: September or October is the best time to get vaccinated for the fall flu season, but it’s still a good idea to get your vaccine later in the season. The vaccine takes about two weeks to become fully effective.

COVID-19: The COVID-19 vaccine was recently updated, and with the respiratory season upon us, receiving this vaccine now will provide the best protection (assuming you received the older vaccine more than three months ago). Additional doses may be recommended based on age, vaccination history and immune status. When additional updates to the vaccine happen, immunization is recommended ASAP, but no sooner than three months after your last COVID-19 vaccine.

RSV: Eligible adults should get the RSV vaccine between August and October, or any time of year. You do not need to get an RSV vaccine every year.

Not sure which vaccines you need or when to get them? Talk with your healthcare provider.

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, we turn our exterior hospital lights pink each October, and this year, we are celebrating our breast cancer survivors with a special viewing of the lighting with food, drinks and community this Thursday.

This event is open to the public, so join us this Thursday, Oct. 1, from 6- 8 p.m. The lights will switch to pink at sunset. We will gather at our Surgery Center at 1229 E. Seminole on the 4th floor.

Congratulations to our chief operating officer Taylor Lahar Warwick on being named to Becker's Healthcare's 2026 list of rising healthcare leaders under 40.

Taylor serves as COO for the entire Mercy Springfield Communities, and her leadership is helping shape what's next for Mercy, from supporting caregivers and patients to building stronger, healthier communities.

Been around someone with measles? Here's what to know.

If symptoms develop, start with a virtual visit or phone call. A Mercy caregiver can help you understand your options and what to do next.

The Sunshine Cart is getting some much-deserved attention these days.

This cart is not a medical device. It's not part of any patient's treatment plan, but it brings immeasurable moments of peace and joy to our oncology patients who have to stay with us for days or weeks while they receive treatment.

Anytime a patient needs ear plugs, an eye mask, a cozy blanket, extra-soft tissues, Chapstick, soft hair ties, snacks, a journal or even an essential oil, this cart is there when they need it.

These items are free to patients and their loved ones, and it's a small but meaningful way our team can make our patients' stay with us a little more restful.

Thank you to our nurse leader Tabitha for coming up with the idea for this small but mighty Sunshine Cart and to her team and all the families and past patients who have donated items to keep the cart stocked. The outpouring of love and support we've seen since the Sunshine Cart launched a few months ago has been overwhelming in the best possible way.

Sudden injuries don't have to put you in a pickle. Skip the ER wait and cost and head to our orthopedic walk-in clinics instead! Find your nearest location: https://bit.ly/45V3A5W

Earlier this summer, we celebrated Mercy team member Lexi who got to ring the bell announcing she was cancer-free, and this month, we rang the bell for Pamela who was diagnosed with breast cancer after 20 years of getting regular mammograms.

We are so thankful we got the celebrate both of these incredible women. When you work in a hospital, you rarely think you'll become a patient. When it does happen, it's nice to know your entire work family is there to support and cheer you on.

Rural health challenges require local solutions and strong partnerships! We're proud to join Heartland Whole Health Institute and partners across Arkansas in the Rural Health Transformation Program, working to create healthier communities and improve access to care where it's needed most.

Big news for rural health in Arkansas.

Heartland Whole Health Institute is proud to convene six Arkansas health care organizations through Heartland Whole Health Connect, a new rural health initiative supported through $8.4 million from Arkansas' Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

Together with Mercy, Community Clinic, Boston Mountain Rural Health Center, North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, St. Bernards Healthcare, and Arkansas CPESN, we’ll work to expand access to primary and preventive care, strengthen chronic disease management, increase telehealth and remote care, and advance whole-person care closer to home.

We’re excited for what this investment makes possible for Arkansas and what we can learn together to help shape the future of rural health across the country.

Learn more about Heartland Whole Health Connect: https://brnw.ch/21x5WFy