By HFT Staff

Mercy filed a letter of intent with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to construct a 75-bed, next-generation hospital in Wentzville, Missouri. By addressing the soaring population growth in the state’s tri-county area – encompassing St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties – Mercy hopes to bring care to the significant number of patients who live in those counties today. With a projected investment of $650 million, the 483,000-square-foot medical complex will be located on approximately 60 acres near the intersection of Interstate 64 and Interstate 70 and be the state’s first completely new, acute-care hospital campus built since 2015 when Mercy opened its hospital in Joplin following the 2011 tornado. 

Mercy’s focus on the tri-county region began in 2010 when a community master plan was developed, tapping area residents and leaders for feedback about needed services. As the lowest cost and highest quality healthcare provider in the state, Mercy wants to ensure consumers and employers can more easily access its care in the tri-county region. Mercy intends to expand its model of affordable healthcare to the tri-county area in the years to come. 

Related: SoutheastHEALTH Signs Off on Agreement to Join Mercy

When tri-county residents are admitted to a hospital, 18 out of every 100 (or 18 percent) of them travel for care at a Mercy hospital. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties are three of the top seven fastest growing counties in the state. By 2032, the population in the area is predicted to grow by approximately 9.5 percent, to more than 500,000 residents.  

As done in 2010 with its community master plan, Mercy officials will hold roundtable discussions that allow the public and community leaders an opportunity to provide feedback and ideas for the new hospital and expanding healthcare services in the region.