PERRYVILLE, Mo. – Mercy Hospital Perry is honoring the past and advancing the future as it celebrates its 75th anniversary caring for patients in Perry County.
Seventy-five years ago, the hospital opened its doors as Perry County Memorial Hospital on April 16, 1951. In March 1945, the Perry County Farm Bureau began planning for a hospital, with residents showing support by passing bonds to fund construction. Six years later, Perry County Memorial Hospital opened as a 30,800-square-foot facility with six physicians, 24 caregivers and nearly 200 volunteers. Lilyan Zindell was the first superintendent of the hospital. After six months of operation, the hospital’s team grew to 50 employed caregivers.
“We’re celebrating and honoring our legacy and the bright future ahead at this milestone anniversary,” said Chris Wibbenmeyer, Mercy Hospital Perry administrator. “From Perry County Memorial Hospital to Mercy Perry, our hospital has been a staple in this area for 75 years. Our unwavering commitment to exceptional service and compassionate care has helped our communities be healthier and happier for decades.”
Mercy Perry plans to celebrate its 75th anniversary with caregivers throughout the year and will share photographs and memories from the past on the hospital’s social media.
In 2023, the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and Mercy finalized a lease agreement for Mercy to operate and manage Perry County Memorial Hospital, which became Mercy’s 17th critical access hospital. The integration brought a $6.5 million investment to Perry County with a new electronic health record through Epic, a state-of-the-art system that provides one medical record available to all Mercy health care providers.
Today, Mercy Perry has 121 physicians and 47 advanced practice providers, more than 450 caregivers and 31 volunteers. The hospital has grown to a 103,000-square-foot facility with highly advanced surgical suites and more than 20 specialty clinics in Perryville.
Mercy Perry is continuing to focus its efforts on recruiting strong primary care providers, specialty physicians and advanced practice providers to deliver personalized care for patients close to home.
“With our strong past supporting us, we’re looking forward to the next 75 years in Perry County,” Wibbenmeyer said.
To learn more facts about Mercy Perry, visit our website at www.mercy.net/newsroom/mercy-hospital-perry-quick-facts/.
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.