Mercy Hospital (Minnesota)

Mercy Hospital, located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, is a 271-bed non-profit hospital that serves the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Mercy Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics health care system. Mercy offers specialty services including behavioral health, cancer care, heart and vascular services, orthopeidics and neuroscience. In 2006, the hospital provided care to more than 165,000 people.^[1]

Take Heart Anoka County

Mercy Hospital is the main sponsor of Take Heart Anoka County, a coalition of doctors, nurses, paramedics, health educators and community leaders that aims to dramatically increase the likelihood of survival after sudden cardiac arrest by training more people in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places throughout the community. This aggressive approach to promote cardiac arrest and CPR awareness is also being followed in: St. Cloud, Minnesota; Columbus, Ohio and Austin, Texas.^[2]

Patient controversy: involuntary electroconvulsive therapy

In 2009, Ray Stanford, then aged 54, received his court ordered involuntary electroconvulsive treatment as an outpatient at Mercy Hospital. Diagnosed as suffering from bi-polar disorder, he received over 40 electroshock treatments at the facility. Although he found the process frightening Sandford had initially agreed to the treatment, thinking that it would consist of perhaps three sessions. As the number of sessions continued far beyond this, he objected to the treatment and ultimately contacted MindFreedom International, a coalition group based in Eugene, Oregan, which is dedicated to upholding the rights of psychiatric patients. This organisation subsequently launched a successful campaign on Sandford's behalf which garnered press coverage and pressurised individuals and organisations involved in or benefitting from his continued electroconvulsive treatment to desist.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ Hospital’s website
2. ^ Take Heart America website
3. ^ Karnowski, Steve (10 May 2009). "Minnesota patient wants right to refuse electroshock". Associated Press. 
4. ^ Snyders, Matt (20 May 2009). "Minnesota mental health patient Ray Sandford forced into electro-shock therapy". CityPages. http://www.citypages.com/2009-05-20/news/minnesota-mental-health-patient-ray-sandford-forced-into-electro-shock-therapy/. Retrieved 24 March 2011. 

External links

• Official site of Mercy Hospital
• Official site of Allina Hospitals & Clinics
• MindFreedom International campaign against Ray Sandford receiving forced ECT at the Mercy Hospital