Mercy Iowa City to close skilled nursing unit

IOWA CITY - Mercy Iowa City will close its skilled nursing unit June 30 because of lack of demand, officials said Monday.

The skilled nursing unit, which had 16 beds last year, will be closed after 30 years of operation at the Catholic hospital in Iowa City, said Margaret Reese, hospital spokeswoman.

'At the time we established the unit, this area was underserved,” Reese said. Now, Iowa City has many high-quality nursing homes and rehab facilities, which has reduced demand for Mercy's unit, she said.

'After 30-plus years of operation, the unit was closed for business reasons, allowing Mercy Iowa City to focus efforts and resources on our core services,” Mercy reported in a newsletter to be published this week.

All patients have been discharged from the unit specializing in short-term care and staff were shifted to other positions within the hospital, Reese said. Mercy has no immediate plans for the space freed up by the unit closure, she said.

In recent years, the 234-bed hospital has expanded specialty services, such as wound and vein care.

Among Mercy treatment options is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which patients undergo a 20-day to 40-day course of 90-minute sessions inside a chamber pressurized with 100 percent oxygen. The pressure helps reduce swelling and discomfort while providing the body with 10 times the normal supply of oxygen to heal damaged tissue, according to the website.

Mercy Iowa City also introduced a new bariatric surgery program last year.

Ronald Reed, who retired as Mercy Iowa City's president and CEO in March, told The Gazette in December the hospital was considering joining the Mercy Health Network, which owns hospitals in Des Moines, Dubuque, Clinton, Mason City and Sioux City.

Reese said Monday there has been no decision.