Leadership Health Care (LHC) members gathered this week to visit the pediatric office of Mercy Community Healthcare in Franklin. Mercy is a nonprofit organization that provides quality and compassionate health care to both the insured and uninsured in Williamson and surrounding counties. The organization also operates an adult clinic just a few doors down from pediatrics, and both clinics are open to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for care.
The faith-based organization launched in 1998 in an old carpet store in downtown Franklin as the nation’s first pediatric medical home. In 2010, Mercy recognized a need to serve more than just children, and the adult branch opened to serve the entire family. Mercy’s mission is to change the model of traditional health care by treating a person entirely – mind, body and spirit – and the organization focuses on three areas of care: pediatrics, adult primary care and integrated mental and behavioral health.
The clinic had 26,000 unique visits in 2014 and is charged with caring for 500 chronically ill children. The nine full-time physicians on staff are all board-certified, and include a psychologist. Patients travel from 32 counties and as far as from Alabama and Kentucky to visit Mercy for care. According to Margaret Owens, interim CEO, a recent TennCare study shows that despite treating some of the sickest children in the state, Mercy patients continually see the best outcomes.
Mercy is a federally qualified health center, but depends on community support to continue to provide exceptional care for its patients. In fact, the entire clinic on Murfreesboro Road is furnished through community donations. To learn more about the facility, click here.
Industry tours are part of Leadership Health Care’s regular programming for members. LHC also hosts executive briefings, a Fundamentals educational series, networking receptions and an annual delegation to Washington, D.C. To learn more about Leadership Health Care and upcoming programs, visit www.leadershiphealthcare.com.
Leadership Health Care was formed in 2002 as an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to foster the next generation of health care leaders.