The Daphne History Museum is receiving a new display honoring health care ministry.
Mercy Medical, originally called Villa Mercy, was established in 1949 to provide health services in Daphne to people of all ages. It now operates a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) in Daphne called Mercy Life.
The display, which was unveiled last week, contains a timeline of Mercy Medical in Daphne as well as a portfolio of Mercy Medical historical documents, according to Mayor Robin LeJeune.
LeJeune said that at its prime, Mercy Medical was the largest employer in southern Alabama and was the first living care facility in the region with the opening of the John McClure Snook Center in 2004. It served the community for 66 years by offering a variety of health care services for all ages.
LeJeune also said that he was thankful to the city council for encouraging this exhibit, which relied on the "support of the city."
"That's attributed to our council and their vision of knowing the history and wanting to preserve that history," LeJeune said, "and that's what we're doing here tonight. To help preserve the Mercy Medical history of Daphne."
Some Sisters of Mercy, whose values have inspired Mercy Medical's mission, attended the unveiling event and had the attention of almost every guest.
Several attendees, which mostly included former and present Mercy volunteers, staff and associates, visited the Sisters of Mercy's table to reminisce and reunite.
"Mercy Medical was the pioneer of hospice in the late '70s in south Alabama," said Mary Kate Hollis, former CEO and president of Mercy Medical and active Mercy associate, who also shared some history on Mercy Medical before the display was unveiled.
Hollis explained how Mercy Medical, alongside being the largest employer in Baldwin County, made a "significant impact on the economic wealth" in the City of Daphne and that it also opened the first Alzheimer's and dementia communities in the Gulf Coast.
She also described the program's mission in "providing compassionate, holistic and excellent care to persons of all ages under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Mercy."
"They have impacted many of us," Hollis said about the Sisters of Mercy, "and we have an opportunity to share their story. We hope that you will bring your children and grandchildren to the Daphne History Museum."
Mayor LeJeune said he was excited to have more additions to the History Museum with the Daphne centennial coming up in 2027, especially considering the historical markers that Mercy Medical brought to the region.
