Our History

It was more than a century ago that the Sisters of Mercy broke ground on Sacramento's first private hospital, Mater Misericordiae (Latin for "Mother of Mercy"). The hospital was one of the most modern and best equipped hospitals in California at the time. It operated at 23rd and R streets until 1925, when the Sisters opened Mercy General Hospital at 40th and J Streets. Since then we've grown in size and sophistication, but our mission has remained unchanged.

1831 
Catherine McAuley founds the order of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland.

1857 
Sisters of Mercy come by riverboat to Sacramento, beginning their ministry in the capital.

1890s 
Dr. G.L. Simmons starts Ridge Home, a small sanitarium at 22nd & R streets.

1895 
Dr. Simmons persuades the Sisters of Mercy to purchase Ridge Home and the block surrounding it. The Sisters make plans to build a modern hospital on the property.

1896 
Ground is broken for a 30-bed hospital on land adjacent to Ridge Home.

1897 
Sisters of Mercy begin their healthcare ministry in Sacramento by opening Mater Misericordiae Hospital (becomes known as Sisters' Hospital).

1905
The Woodland Sanitarium opens at 110 College Street in Woodland, which grew to become the Woodland Clinic Hospital in the 1920s, moving to Third and Cross Streets. 

1911 
Woodland Healthcare is established.

1919 
The Sisters purchase a seven-acre dairy site at 40th & J streets to build a new hospital.

1925 
Sisters of Mercy open hospital at current site of Mercy General.

1934 
Hospital is officially renamed Mercy Hospital (later becomes Mercy General). The Sisters establish Mercy Clinic to care for underprivileged children.

1954 
Mercy General Hospital adds East Wing to accommodate 115 beds and other clinical, maternity and surgical facilities. Mercy Foundation is established.

1958 
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital is established.

1960 
Mercy General adds facilities for research, cardiac services and intensive care.

1962 
Twin Lakes Community Hospital opened in Folsom.

1965 
Current Woodland Healthcare hospital opens on corner of Cottonwood and Gibson streets.

1967 
Mercy San Juan Hospital is established.

1973 
Methodist Hospital is established.

1979 
Mercy Hospice is established.

1980 
Sisters of Mercy acquire Twin Lakes Community Hospital and renames it Mercy Hospital of Folsom.

1981 
Mercy Home Health is established.

1986 
Mercy Sleep Center opens.

1987 
Catholic Healthcare West is established when Sisters of Mercy in Auburn combine their health ministry with the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame.

1989 
Sisters of Mercy open new 95-bed Mercy Hospital of Folsom on Creekside Drive in Folsom, located on a 26-acre property donated by the Cummings and Tsakopoulos families. Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit opens at Mercy San Juan. Bruceville Terrace opens as a skilled nursing facility.

1990 
Cardiac Cath Lab opens and cardiac surgery begins at Mercy San Juan.

1993 
Methodist Hospital affiliates with Mercy Healthcare Sacramento.

1995 
Mercy San Juan is named accredited cancer center. Mercy Family Health Center and Family Practice Residency Program are established at Methodist Hospital.

1996 
Family Birth Center is built with Level II neonatal ICU at Methodist Hospital. Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital affiliates with Mercy Healthcare Sacramento. Woodland Healthcare affiliates with Mercy Healthcare Sacramento.

1998 
Woodland Healthcare takes over Yolo Adult Day Health Center. Mercy Charities Housing opens Russell Manor, a low-income housing complex for seniors that was built on land donated by Methodist Hospital. Mercy Charities Housing, Mercy Hospital of Folsom and City of Folsom team up to purchase and renovate 10 apartment buildings in an impoverished Folsom neighborhood. Mercy Village Folsom emerges a year later as a rejuvenated, affordable housing complex with enriched social and medical service access. Mercy consolidates its Pediatric Services to two primary locations: Methodist Hospital in the south and Mercy San Juan Hospital in the north. Mercy General's Pediatric Unit is closed. Mercy's Family Practice Residency Program, based at Methodist Hospital, celebrates the graduation of its first six resident physicians.

1999 
Level II Trauma Center opens as part of 69,000-square-foot Emergency Department expansion at Mercy San Juan.

2000 
Mercy San Juan Trauma Center receives American College of Surgeons verification. The Methodist Hospital School Health Program is launched to bring nursing services to underserved schools in the south area. Folsom Family Clinic opens.

2001 
Name is changed to Mercy San Juan Medical Center. Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center opens at Methodist Hospital.

2004 
Mercy Hospital of Folsom's ranking by Solucient as one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals published in Modern Healthcare. Ranking based on the results of the Solucient Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success study.

2005 
Mercy San Juan stroke program receives Primary Stroke Center designation from The Joint Commission. Mercy Sleep Center moves to present site, doubling capacity.

2006 
Mercy San Juan is recognized by five health plans for being among top 10% of California hospitals for quality patient care. Mercy San Juan is named in 100 Top Hospitals in nation by Solucient.

2007 
Methodist Hospital physician, Stephen Howell, MD, performs first custom-fit total knee replacement (OtisKnee) in the U.S. Mercy San Juan is named in 100 Top Hospitals in nation by Thomson.

2008 
Newly constructed 25-bed all-private room Cummings Emergency Pavilion opens at Mercy Hospital of Folsom. Da Vinci robotic surgical program begins at Mercy San Juan.

2009 
Mercy Neurological Institute of Greater Sacramento begins. Mercy San Juan new patient tower opens, adding 142,000 square feet and 110 beds. Methodist Hospital opens expanded Emergency Room.

2011
Sacramento's first comprehensive outpatient cancer center, the Mercy Cancer Center opens.

2012 
Catholic Healthcare West is now Dignity Health. Dignity Health Medical Plaza in Elk Grove opens housing medical offices and outpatient surgery center.

2014
Alex G. Spanos Heart & Vascular Center opens at Mercy General Hospital. Mercy San Juan Medical Center certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, the only California facility north of the Bay Area with this designation.

2015
Mercy San Juan Medical Center is the first hospital on the West Coast to receive The Joint Commission’s Perinatal Care Certification.

2016 
Mercy San Juan Medical Center named a Community Hospital Center of Excellence by the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation.