FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Stained Glass Windows at Mercy Provide
Radiant Reflections Of Nursing
Windows Depict History of Profession, Memories of Nursing School

Canton, Ohio: Mercy Medical Center recently installed five stained glass windows in a first-floor hallway that leads to the Mercy Surgery Center. The hospital held a dedication and blessing ceremony for the windows on June 11.

Donated by the Mercy School of Nursing Alumni Association and designed by Beach City-based Radiant Arts, Inc., the windows add a colorful, cathedral-like display to a hallway where the compassionate side of medicine is honored.

The windows pay tribute to the practice of nursing and the legacy of the nursing school, which was established by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine just months after opening Mercy Hospital in 1908. They also illuminate the photos of Mercy's Society of St. Luke physicians, recognized for their outstanding service to patients, the hospital and the community.

Entitled "Spirit of Nursing," "Healing," "Tree of Knowledge," "Compassion" and "Spirit of Mercy," the designs depict many familiar symbols of the profession and of the school, which merged with Walsh University's associate and baccalaureate degree programs in 1984. Images like Florence Nightingale's lamp, the Sisters' coat of arms, a caduceus, a nurse in military garb, the school's logo – a cross wreathed by oak and laurel leaves – and others provide viewers with a pictorial history that spans more than a century.

In mid-2007, the school's alumni memorial committee commissioned artist Dave Marchione and master glazer Jim Foltz, co-founders of Radiant Arts. Window installation was completed in May.

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. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.