Mercy Hospital provides a high level of charity care compared to most hospitals in Allegheny County and is the county's only remaining Catholic hospital.

None of that should change, officials say, after its merger with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

	Related articles UPMC, Mercy merge: Competitors raise concerns about monopoly for Oakland giant

Officials gave assurances yesterday that the hospital would continue to serve those in need even as services are upgraded.

"We don't envision any reduction in the dollar amount of charity care at Mercy," said UPMC spokeswoman Wendy Zellner. "We expect that more patients and more volume will mean more dollars available for charity care."

During the 2005 fiscal year, the share of uncompensated care at Mercy was 3.56 percent, higher than for any other hospital in Allegheny County except UPMC Braddock, where it was 4.19 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.

The two sides also emphasized that even though UPMC will manage the hospital, Mercy will continue as a Catholic institution, with the Diocese of Pittsburgh providing a larger role in ensuring that the hospital provides care according to the church's guidelines.

Directives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops specify, for example, that abortion is never permitted and that Catholic health-care institutions cannot promote contraception.

The Sisters of Mercy have been responsible for ensuring adherence to those directives, with oversight by the diocese of Pittsburgh, said the Rev. Lawrence DiNardo, the diocese's health care liaison and vicar for canonical services.

A vice president of Catholic ministry and an oversight committee will assess whether Catholic guidelines are being followed, he said.

In general, patients should notice little if any difference in Catholic practices at the hospital, he said.

Sister Margaret Hannan, president of the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy, said 19 sisters employed or volunteering at Mercy likely would continue their duties at the hospital.

About 12.5 percent of the nation's hospitals are Catholic hospitals, according to the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

Fred Caesar, an association spokesman, said he was uncertain how many of the nation's 615 Catholic hospitals are under secular management.

Father DiNardo noted that two hospitals in West Virginia, St. Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg and St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, have had that arrangement in place for years.

When it purchased those hospitals in the 1990s from the Sisters of St. Joseph in Wheeling, Columbia HCA -- now HCA -- agreed to maintain the same level of charity care and a strong pastoral care department, said Sister Marguerite O'Brien, the religious order's president. The company also agreed to abide by the Catholic bishops' directives, she said.

"The Sisters of St. Joseph continue to have excellent relationships in both hospitals," Sister O'Brien said, even though they have since been sold by HCA to another company and may be sold yet again. "I think they're seen by the public as Catholic institutions."

She said her order has used about $40 million from the sales to set up two foundations that promote health and wellness in the area and statewide.

"As our ministry in direct service in health care has changed, we now have a new way of ministering to help fund projects others are doing," she said.

Sister Hannan, of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, also emphasized that her order remains committed to the local community. Besides vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, members also take vows of service, she noted.

"That's our mission and it will continue," she said.

Operation Safety Net, a Mercy Hospital program that provides health care to local homeless people, would continue its operation after the merger. It might even get more support, said its medical director and founder, Dr. Jim Withers.

"I think there's a lot of positive things about it," he said of the merger. For example, he believes it could enhance training programs for medical students and residents.

Dr. Bruce Dixon, Allegheny County's health director, said that partly because of its central location, Mercy has treated a disproportionate number of indigent and uninsured people.

The need for that is "growing as more and more people are losing health care," said Dr. Dixon, who expressed optimism about the merger.

The hospital has been a key player in Uptown's attempts at rejuvenation, and some community leaders wonder if UPMC will have the same level of commitment.

Jeanne McNutt, who chairs the housing and economic development committee of the Uptown Task Force, hopes that the new Mercy would "have the same community conscience and involvement" under UPMC's management.