Sisters of Mercy Health System unveils new facility

submitted photo Executives and board members from the Sisters of Mercy Health System tour the new Mercy Data Center. They are looking at the cooling system and seismic underpinnings of the $60 million, 42,500-square-foot facility, which is expected to be fully completed and open this summer. The center, which is expected to help the health system meet its growing data needs, was previewed last week by community board members, physicians and leaders from across the health system's four-state region.

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The $60 million, 42,500-square-foot center, designed and built specifically to support Mercy's 26 hospitals -- including Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, physician offices and other services -- was previewed last week by community board members, physicians and leaders from across the health system's four-state region. Officials said the center is in its final stages of construction and is slated to open this summer.

In a company news release, Mercy officials said the center has some key innovative features, such as the ability to transfer the entire contents of the Library of Congress in 6.5 seconds and withstand a tornado.

"The Mercy Data Center is like the Fort Knox of data," Mercy Chief Information Officer Will Showalter said. "In a world where identity theft is common, it's critical that our patients' medical information is safely protected from outsiders or natural disasters, and yet completely accessible to their healthcare teams."

Because healthcare today depends on availability of technology and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Mercy Data Center was designed with fail-safe features to withstand a variety of natural events, power or water interruptions and even failures within the building itself. Every support system that protects data in the center is fully duplicated -- with backups for power, cooling and network connectivity -- and the facility can operate up to 72 hours in the case of an electrical power outage. Network bandwidth and computer processing power can also be added as needs arise, a company statement said.

"Today, almost every way that Mercy serves and communicates with patients is supported by technology," Mercy President and CEO Lynn Britton said. "As one of only two percent of healthcare organizations using a comprehensive electronic health record system to connect our hospitals and physician offices, the data center will ensure our ability to keep this system and other clinical technology available around-the-clock."

Mercy Health Center President and CEO Reta Baker said, "This preview was a tremendous opportunity for residents from the communities we serve to see Mercy's commitment to supporting vital healthcare technology. The Mercy Data Center is an investment in the communities and patients we serve, and in the Mercy coworkers and physicians who deliver patient care."

Other unique aspects of the data center design include:

* The center was designed to be compliant with LEED standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. Of the 255 tons of steel used, 100 percent came from recycled sources.

* The data center's location in Washington, Mo., was chosen from more than 20 sites based on its bedrock foundation, access to alternate sources of power and water, distance from earthquake fault lines, and proximity to other Mercy operations.

* The core of the center's network, which receives and sends electronic information, could transfer the entire contents of the Library of Congress in less than 6.5 seconds.

* More than two million feet -- nearly 400 miles -- of fiber optic cable is used to carry data through the center, enough to reach from St. Louis, Mo., to Milwaukee, Wis.

Mercy officials said the company's data needs are growing as the health system's dependence on technology has grown. Since introducing an electronic health record system in early 2008, Mercy has seen 1,742,130 unique patients and created an electronic health record for each person and nearly 40 million orders for care have been placed electronically. Mercy currently stores more than six million medical imaging studies (X-ray, ultrasound, etc.) in digital format. They occupy 125 terabytes of information -- the equivalent storage space would take 8,000 iPhones, the company statement said.