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]
Contents |
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]
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, Oregon, 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]