Mercy Hospital dedicates new lobby

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper

MIAMI | With plenty of dignitaries and staff on hand, Mercy Hospital dedicated its new lobby Feb. 24 — the most visible part of more than $120 million worth of renovations currently underway at the only Catholic hospital in Miami-Dade County.

The renovations include installation of over 1,100 impact-resistant windows and a switch to private rooms throughout the eight-floor facility. A portion of the renovated Emergency Room is now kid-friendly and the Intensive Care Unit has been expanded and furnished with state-of-the-art medical equipment. A new cafeteria is in place for employees and patients’ families.

“There is a lot going on; a lot more coming,” said Dale Alward, who recently took over as CEO of the hospital. “This is just one piece to the puzzle.”

Mercy was sold to the investor-owned HCA chain in 2010, but continues to be sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, who staffed it since its founding in 1950 — eight years before the Diocese of Miami was created.

The hospital abides by the ethical and religious directives of Catholic health care and three Sisters of St. Joseph serve on its board of directors. The Archdiocese of Miami remains its canonical sponsor.

“Mercy Hospital is an integral part of this community,” Alward said. “It’s a jewel in this community. It’s a jewel for HCA.”

His words were backed by the presence of Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado — whose four grandchildren were born at Mercy — along with Miami’s police chief and a representative of Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Regalado described Mercy as “part of the soul of Miami.”

And Mercy’s renovations are not neglecting that aspect of its ministry to the sick. A statue of Our Lady of Mercy prominently graces the rear of the lobby, next to a newly-built meditation room for people of all faiths. An image of a crucifix and rosary is embedded in the wall art that adorns the lobby entrance.

Mass continues to be celebrated twice a day — one in English, one in Spanish — in Mercy’s second-floor chapel, and piped into patients’ rooms via closed-circuit television. Four priests, one woman religious and a rabbi serve as chaplains.

“This is the only Catholic hospital in the division. And because of Mercy, we are opening the possibility for other (HCA) hospitals to have spiritual care,” said Michael Garrido, vice president of Mission Integration at Mercy.

Mercy is “110 percent” Catholic, said Msgr. Gabriel Ghanoum, coordinator of spiritual care for HCA’s East Florida Division.

He blessed the new lobby and meditation room after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and noted that “the lighting, the textures, the colors have all been chosen to bring comfort, hope and peace.”

Msgr. Ghanoum said the physical face-lift also is meant to evoke the spiritual “faith-lift” which has been part of Mercy Hospital’s mission since the day it was founded: to be “a reminder and a beacon that you, Lord, are ever with us, in time of blessing and in time of need.”