Local Family's Gift to Help Bring Technology to Mercy St. Francis

As one of the first babies born at Mercy St. Francis Hospital in 1957, Patty Orchard has always understood the importance of having high-quality health care close to home.

Now, she and her husband, Jerry, are contributing to that quality, with a gift of $10,000 toward the purchase of 3D mammography equipment for their hometown hospital.

"For more than 60 years, our 'hospital on the hill' has provided strong support for our rural community," Orchard said. "This was so evident during the COVID pandemic, as the staff at Mercy St. Francis kept us informed about how to protect ourselves. When the time came, they provided vaccines. Like us, they understand that our community deserves the very best health care, and we hope our gift advances that goal."

While Mercy St. Francis currently offers digital mammography, 3D mammography is an advancement that can better detect areas of concern, particularly in women with dense breast tissue. Dense breasts contain more glandular tissue, which can look like cancer in a 2D mammogram. This leads to additional testing for some women, which can be stressful as they wait for results. Not only does 3D mammography reduce the need for more tests, it can detect smaller abnormalities, leading to quicker detection and easier treatment.

"Jerry and I especially connected with the goal of providing these advanced screenings in our community," Orchard said. "We already have professional nurses and technicians, and this state-of-the-art imaging technology will help them better serve us all."

The Orchards, who own Brown's Farm & Garden in Mountain View, were able to increase their gift, thanks to help from a business supplier. "Our Purina Feed representative was able to help us apply for and receive matching funds through their incentive for local charitable contributions," Patty Orchard explained. "We appreciate that our customers are loyal to us and to our local hospital, and we really appreciate Purina's thoughtful contribution."

With this large donation, Mercy is closer to getting the new equipment, but it still needs the community's help.

"Every donation – large and small – gets us closer to our goal," said Karen Simpson-Neasby, executive director of Mercy Health Foundation St. Francis. "We have just $110,000 left to raise for the 3D mammography equipment. We're so grateful for those who have already given, and we hope the community will rally around our efforts to make this goal a reality."

If you'd like to make a donation, please contact Karen Simpson-Neasby at 417-533-6192 or email her at karen.simpson-neasby@mercy.net.