KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, announced plans this week to bring enhanced pediatric services to Springfield.
Officials with Mercy Hospital say they’ve been interested in exploring partnership options to provide care to patients in southwest Missouri, estimating nearly a third of patients in the area have to travel to Kansas City or St. Louis.
“Because a significant number of our region’s children have to travel to Kansas City or St. Louis to receive the specialized care they need, we knew we had to find a solution that would allow our kids to get care here at home as often as possible,” Mercy Hospital President David Argueta said.
Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO of Children’s Mercy Kansas City, said the partnership is “about providing excellent care to kids in their community.”
“By creating a pediatric system of excellence in southwest Missouri, our patients will no longer need to drive several hours for appointments and care, which will help improve access and outcomes for all the children we serve in the area,” Kempinski said.
Mercy Hospital said it explored a partnership last year with CoxHealth, though the two parties were unable to reach a deal.
“We knew there weren’t many examples of what we were aiming to accomplish across the country and that there was a chance we wouldn’t reach an agreement,” Argueta said on working with CoxHealth. “I’m incredibly proud of our two teams for working together and making this issue a priority for our community, and while I’m disappointed we didn’t come to an agreement, I am pleased that we have agreed to collaborate with Children’s Mercy Kansas City to crate an exceptional solution for the region that meets our primary objective, which is to provide care for our kids close to home.”
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