Text contributed by Mercy Hospital and Ian Saxine, MHS Historian.
Queen's Hospital administration building, Portland, ca. 1930
Northern Light Mercy Hospital
The Story of Mercy Hospital began in the fall of 1918, with one of the greatest health crisis in the city's history, the pandemic known as the Spanish Influenza. This emergency, along with limited proper hospital facilities in the Portland area, prompted Bishop Walsh to enlist the help of the Sisters of Mercy. This relationship launched Mercy Hospital's commitment to the greater Portland community, through compassionate and high-quality healthcare.
Over the years, Mercy has faced many challenges; a growing and changing population, and dramatically different medical technologies. At the turn of the 21st century, as those challenges began to exceed the capabilities of the State Street facility, Mercy Hospital embarked on a campaign to create the Mercy Fore River campus. Phase I of Mercy Fore River opened in September 2008 with a state-of-the-art medical office building and an advanced new hospital facility. This provides additional inpatient and outpatient surgical services, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, and The Birthplace. The new hospital is located on a 42-acre site overlooking the Fore River in Portland.
