FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mercy Service League Announces Centennial Harvest Ball Chairpersons 2008 Event Chairs Include Sister Mary Patricia Barrett, C.S.A., Dr. Michael Linz, Dr. Dina Rooney, Karen Bostrom, Mrs. Michael P. Gill

Canton, Ohio: In honor of Mercy Medical Center's 100th anniversary, the Mercy Service League recently named Sister Mary Patricia Barrett, C.S.A., honorary chairperson of Mercy's Centennial Harvest Ball. The league also named Michael H. Linz, M.D. and Dina Rooney, M.D. as medical staff co-chairs for the ball, and league president Karen Bostrom and league member Mrs. Michael P. Gill as event co-chairs.

Proceeds from the gala, to be held Sat., Oct. 18 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, will benefit the hospital's construction of a new I.C.U.

Dr. Linz said this year's ball will be a significant event because it will "celebrate Mercy's past, affirm its continuing mission and contribute to the hospital's future through support of the I.C.U."

A $20.5-million-dollar project, the 24-unit I.C.U. will be a state-of-the-art facility located behind the Mercy Surgery Center. The project, slated for completion in the spring of 2009, will also include expansion of the surgery center parking garage and relocation of the helipad to the roof of the I.C.U.

"Mercy's medical staff has long recognized the need for this new family-friendly I.C.U. and wholeheartedly supports its construction," said Dr. Rooney. "Patients, their families and our community will benefit greatly from the level of care we will be able to provide."

In anticipation of the elegant event, Bostrom believes it will be a highlight of Mercy's centennial. "This ball will not only be a special evening filled with fine dining and dancing, it will also serve as a testimony to the many decades of exceptional, compassionate care that Mercy has provided in our community," she said. "Together as co-chairs, we plan to create a truly memorable event that will benefit Mercy and its patients during the hospital's second century."

Sr. Mary Patricia Barrett, who entered the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in 1957, has a long history with Mercy, including service on its board of trustees for various periods during the mid-l970s through the late 1990s. A member of the hospital's centennial committee, she currently is part of the board of trustees for the Canton Medical Education Foundation and the Sisters of Charity Mercy Ministry Corporation. Previously, Sr. Mary Patricia served as director of social services at both St. Vincent Charity Hospital and Parmadale Children?s Village. Following years of congregational leadership, she became the congregation's health care planner and helped establish the Sisters of Charity Health System. She served as the health system's first president from l986 to 2005 and currently is an a ssistant to the president and to the archivist. She also serves on the board of trustees of the Sisters of Charity Providence Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina; the community board of St. John West Shore Hospital, Westlake, Ohio; and Hospice of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Linz specializes in general internal medicine and is a member of the Mercy Department of Internal Medicine. A graduate of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Dr. Linz completed an internal medicine residency program in the Affiliated Hospitals of Canton. Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, he currently practices with Astute Medical Associates, Inc. In his 20 years as a member of Mercy's medical staff, Dr. Linz has been part of many committees, previously serving as the medical staff president and chairing the pharmacy and therapeutics committee. He currently chairs the credentials committee and serves as a board member for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton and is chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Canton Medical Education Foundation. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at NEOUCOM.

Dr. Rooney, a member of the Mercy Department of Internal Medicine, specializes in hematology and oncology. A graduate of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, she completed her residency at the Medical Center of Vermont and her fellowship at Indiana University. Board certified by the American Board of Medical Oncology and the American Board of Hematology, Dr. Rooney currently practices with Tri-County Hematology & Oncology. She has been a member of Mercy's medical staff for 10 years and previously served as vice chair of internal medicine. A driving force in the development of Mercy's breast care program, Dr. Rooney is the medical director of the Mercy Breast Care Center. She also serves as chair of the cancer education subcommittee and is a longstanding member of the cancer committee.

Karen L. Bostrom joined the Mercy Service League in 2005 and currently serves as president. The marketing specialist at Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A., she holds a bachelor's degree from Wilkes University and is a graduate of the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing.

Mrs. Gill served as president of the Mercy Service League from 2005 to 2007. She was also a member of the Junior League of Canton for many years.

About the Mercy Service League The Mercy Service League, a non-profit organization, promotes the mission of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and Mercy's philosophies through service, outreach and education. The league is made up of dedicated women who volunteer and fundraise on Mercy's behalf.

About Mercy Medical Center Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of The Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville and North Canton. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay.