BY YURI ROSS, TATIANA CUBAS, AND DAVID STONER
NNB Reporters
MIDTOWN — Mercy Hospital was the only facility that provided medical care to St. Petersburg’s African-American residents.
It operated between 1923 and 1961. This had its advantages as compassionate professionals dedicated the best possible care to their community.
Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center maintains the historic value of Mercy Hospital and continues to use the same mission, providing quality of care at a low cost.
According to Cheryl Robinson, clinical operations director, the health center opened in May of 1985 in the basement of Lakeview Presbyterian Church. It later moved to the Mercy Hospital site in February of 2004.
While health care is not free, the health center accepts all managed care plans and many commercial plans. For uninsured patients, the facility has a discount service fee based on income and number of family members in the household, Robinson said.
The health center provides services in pediatric, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, behavioral health, and dental care. It is one of ten centers in the Community Health Centers of Pinellas network. The center has its own ACCESS program to provide help for those in need, and the ACCESS program attends many community functions to keep the community aware of its services, said Robinson. They also hold several community events every year including the annual African American Health Forum and the Junior League Back to School event.
There have been no plans to expand their services at this time.
Mercy Hospital became an important part of the community since it was the only hospital to provide care to African-Americans during segregation when integration was not available. It provided low cost care and performed all types of surgeries. A gallery that commemorates Mercy Hospital has signs saying that the staff and patients knew each other and the patients were not simply numbers. It became family oriented and the heart of the community.
However, the hospital would experience its burdens because of its small size.
Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center maintains a link to the history of Mercy Hospital. The renovations at the health center allowed the Mercy Hospital to be connected to the it.