MASON CITY – Mercy Medical Center in Mason City announced this week plans for a new addition to the hospital, serving behavioral health.
The addition was announced Wednesday by CEO Dan Varnum at a press conference held at the hospital. It will cost $10.7 million to build, he said. The expansion will allow Mercy to increase Behavioral Health services to its patients. The addition will be located next to the hospital’s Emergency Department. Construction is expected to begin yet this fall. It will be located near the Emergency Room area and will be 27,000 square feet.
The new addition will serve both in-patient and out-patient services. Current services for behavioral health on the 5 East and 5 South floors will be relocated to this new area.
CEO Varnum thanked local citizen Wally Smeby for a contribution of $900,000 from a foundation he set up that will go towards the project.
Why? So f#$king Mercy can have mental patients arrested when the don’t act “normal”? Mercy could care less about any of its patients all they and Dan Varnum care about is money they will take it from insurance companies, the patients, the city and the tax payers. They don’t care how they get it? Tell me how if a mental patient goes into a mental ward and is ignored and then he’s upset and doesn’t a certain way when the person in in for a mental break down that mother f#&king Mercy then would have a mental patient arrested and stick with the charges after repeating then violating the patients civil rights and HIPPA rights. YET no charges against Mercy? Mercy hospital in Mason City is pure EVIL let by the Satan himself Dan Varnum!
It is unfortunate that you appear to have had a bad experience. However, there are always two sides to every story and you are only telling one side. Any hospital would call for law enforcement if a patient becomes a danger to other patients and staff. And sadly, because of HIPPA, mercy can’t defend their actions when disgruntled patients/and or family members aren’t satisfied.
And that is the f&+king problem! ANY hospital would! When any hospital shouldnit! And Mercy NEVER has called police on a mental patient before this incident so why did they do it now? Law enforcement should NOT be involved in mental illness! They should had it themselves with more security and not file charges that will ruin a person life and career when then are depressed or mentally broken. And if you think it is acceptable then you my friend are also evil and part of the problem!
They have space for 22 patients now and will only have room for 34 after the addition. That just doesn’t compute for me. It seems like $10+ million is a lot of money for 12 more spaces.
They will be serving more than 12 people. According to the news, there will be better utilization of the rooms when they have more private rooms. There is a huge need in Iowa for mental health services. For those of you who feel the need to degrade people who suffer from mental illness, may you or your family never have to experience it for yourself!
Most of the people who would post negatively about mental health (and most everything else except Trump) on this site, are in the midst of experiencing mental illness themselves and have been for some time.
Well said Carly.
While you and I do not agree on politics, you have nailed this one to a tee.
Mental health issues are a very serious matter, and similar to what you stated….”but for the the grace of God, there go I”.
I lost a sister to depression & it tears me apart to this day and it will until the day that I see her again.
In the most important things in life, like this one, I am with you 100%.
I wish you well Carly.
Good for them. They are trying to offset the ex-Governor’s systematic destruction of our health care system. Right now Iowa is worst in the nation in providing for mentally disabled people.
So who is going to pay for this? Most of the patients that go to 5 east have no fricken money/insurance, so who pays. Why can’t Mercy turn these people away that keep coming back numerous times and never pay their bill. Just doesn’t make since to me?
Do you have any proof or any type of a fact sheet to back up your statement?
This is good BUT I think there are other services that Mercy does not offer and should, perhaps more so than this.
Sadly there is no cure or even assistance for idiotic, moronic & stupid old coots.
This is great. Now a certain Clear Lake Resident can finally get the help he so desperately needs
that’s funny, I was thinking the same of about 3000 of mason city’s “finest” citizens that act like children continually by being against any economic growth because they are fearful and choose to be influenced by the bullies that patrol the city government
You might as well leave town then because we are going to vote down the ice rink and the waste of a hotel.
we could care less about that stupid hotel and ice rink. that demonstrates the stupidity of mason city government and it’s residents. but we’re going to stick around so we can watch the circus perform again with weaver and schickel leading that group of 3000 around in circles like a dog chasing it’s tail. like watching a three stooges tv show.