History
Mercy Care’s mission to enhance the fullness of life of elders is inspired by love of God and love of neighbor.
The Sisters of Mercy, an international organization of religious women, have for 175 years been inspired by their Catholic faith to serve those in need. Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, a not-for-profit corporation established in March 2007 in Lake Placid, New York, is a sponsored work of the Sisters of Mercy Institute of the Americas.
In the Adirondacks in 1895, two members of the Sisters of Mercy opened a sanitorium in Gabriels to treat people sick with tuberculosis. It was a mission in line with their history: Since 1831, when Catherine McAuley established the order in Ireland, the Sisters had devoted themselves to the sick and poor.
The Sisters of Mercy later established Mercy Hospital in Tupper Lake and responded to the need for long-term nursing care by sponsoring the Uihlein Mercy Center in Lake Placid and the Mercy Healthcare Center in Tupper Lake. When the ownership of these nursing homes was transferred to the Adirondack Medical Center in early 2007, the mission of the Sisters of Mercy was renewed through the establishment of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks to help elders age in place more successfully, especially for older adults who were lonely or isolated.
In 2006 the Founding Board of Directors for Mercy Care for the Adirondacks noted that many elders in the Tri-Lakes area, living in their own homes, were experiencing problems for which they needed care and attention. The Board designed a new ministry which it named Mercy Care for the Adirondacks to extend love and mercy for elders living in their own homes in the Tri Lakes area of the Adirondacks in northern New York State. The Board committed itself to extending this ministry to any elder in need in this area of the Adirondacks, regardless of their religious faith. The Board then asked the New York Community of the Sisters of Mercy to serve as the sponsor of this new ministry. In 2006 the new Mid-Atlantic community of the Sisters of Mercy agreed to accept sponsorship. Paul J. Reiss, Ph.D. was founding President. The Mid- Atlantic Community of the Sisters of Mercy, with Sister Patricia Vetrano, RSM as President, gave its active support and wise counsel. Sister Camillus O’Keefe, RSM and Sister Denise Wilke, RSM have each served as a Director on the Mercy Care Board. The Sisters of Mercy also contributed Sister Catherine Cummings, RSM, Ed.D, former Mission Director, to Mercy Care. As Mission Director, Sr. Catherine provided valuable leadership to Mercy Care’s Program Development. Donna Beal has continued her leadership as Executive Director of Mercy Care.
