Scripps Mercy Hospital

Scripps Mercy Hospital
Scripps Health
Geography
Location	San Diego, California, United States
Coordinates	32°45′05″N117°09′36″W / 32.751387°N 117.159963°W / 32.751387; -117.159963
Organization
Care system	Private
Type	Teaching
Affiliated university	UC San Diego [1]
Services
Emergency department	Level I trauma center
Beds	700
History
Opened	1890 [2] [ non-primary source needed ]
Links
Website	http://www.scripps.org/mercy
Lists	Hospitals in California

Scripps Mercy Hospital is a private Catholic hospital located in San Diego, California. Founded in 1890, it is the oldest hospital in San Diego County and has campuses in Chula Vista and Hillcrest. The hospital has 700 acute-care-licensed beds and employs 1,300 physicians. The Hillcrest campus is home to one of four regional Level I Trauma Centers and receives more than 2,100 trauma patients each year. ^{[3] [ non-primary source needed ]}

History

In 1890, the Sisters of Mercy opened a five-bed dispensary called St. Joseph's in Downtown San Diego, with the permission of Bishop Francisco Mora y Borrell. ^[4] The dispensary was replaced by a three-story hospital in Hillcrest called St. Joseph's Sanitarium in 1891, which was renamed to St. Joseph's Hospital in 1904. ^[5] It remained the sole hospital for San Diego, until County Hospital was built at the top of Sixth Street, above Mission Valley, in 1903. ^{[4] [6]} In 1921, as St. Joseph's Sanitarium, the hospital became the first hospital accredited by the American College of Surgeons that is west of the Mississippi River. ^[7]

The current hospital building, also in Hillcrest, was built in 1925 and named Mercy Hospital. In January 1949, it became the birthplace of Donna Wilson, the firstborn child of John and Norma Wilson of National City. John served in the Navy in San Diego briefly before being shipped to Key West. ^[5] A second hospital, Bay General Hospital, was established in Chula Vista. In 1986, Bay General joined the Scripps Health system, as did Mercy Hospital in 1995 (which then became Scripps Mercy Hospital). ^[8] Prior to its being under Scripps Health, it was part of Catholic Health Care West. Even after it joining Scripps Health, it remains a Catholic hospital. ^{[9] [ additional citation(s) needed ]} In 2004, the two hospitals were combined at the Hillcrest campus. ^{[8] [ non-primary source needed ]} As recently as 2015, Nuns of Sisters of Mercy continue to work at the hospital, but fulfilling more spiritual needs rather than direct care. ^[10]

Gallery

• 
  The trauma room at Scripps Mercy.
• 
  View from the roof.
• 
  As seen from 8th Avenue.

See also

• Catholic Church and health care

References

1. "Residency Overview". UCSD School of Medicine. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
2. "About - Scripps Health - San Diego". Scripps. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
3. "Trauma System" . Retrieved 4 June 2023.
4. Palmer, Barbara. "Angel in Black". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
5. "Balboa Park history: 1925". Richard Amero notes. San Diego History Center. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
6. Uptown Historic Context and Oral History Report (PDF) (Report). City of San Diego. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
7. Schwab, Dave (24 June 2010). "Critical Care: As Scripps Mercy Hospital celebrates 120 years, its connection to patients remains vital". San Diego Uptown News. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
   Hospital Management. Crain Publishing Company. 1921. p. 4.
   James D. Newland (2018). Grossmont Hospital: A Legacy of Community Service. Arcadia Publishing. p. 31. ISBN   978-1-62585-934-1.
8. "Historical Highlights". Scripps Health. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
9. Schwab, Dave (10 July 2015). "Scripps Mercy turns 125, relives the memories". Mission Valley News. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
10. Sisson, Paul (9 July 2015). "Scripps Mercy hospital's roots go back 125 years". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 21 September 2018.