Mercy Care Services

Respect for the individual and recognizing the dignity of each person are basic values of the Sisters of Mercy and central to Saint Joseph's mission. These values require an energetic and compassionate response to the clear reality of disparities in access to health care and the prevalence of disease within segments of our society.

Following in the footsteps of the Sisters of Mercy when they cared for the poor in the streets of Atlanta, Mercy Care Services began in 1984 as a volunteer project to serve Atlanta's growing homeless population.

Nurse and physician volunteers from Saint Joseph's Hospital provided basic health services in the streets and shelters. Since then, Mercy Care has grown to include an array of programs for medically underserved persons and today is staffed by 119 employees including medical professionals, social services and mental health specialists. Volunteers continue to play a critical role in Mercy Care, and the spirit and vision of the first volunteers is woven into the fabric of its services.

Mercy Care offers primary care, social services and health education to the homeless, the uninsured and the growing immigrant population, particularly Spanish-speaking and Vietnamese immigrants. Care is provided through numerous mobile clinical sites in the metro Atlanta area.

In addition to the mobile clinics, two standing clinics operate five days a week--one in downtown Atlanta and one in the Northeast Plaza on Buford Highway. These clinics provide a full array of medical services for low-income individuals and their families.

Since its beginning, Mercy Care has been engaged in health promotion and outreach programs to the homeless, persons with HIV and other individuals with chronic disease. Prenatal and parenting education classes, as well as domestic violence intervention, are among the programs offered.

Other programs in Mercy Care's continuum of services include an information and referral line, support services at The Edgewood and The Imperial (residences), and a community service center in Grant Park called Casa San Jose.

Mercy Senior Care in Rome, Georgia, offers a day health facility for seniors. Mercy Senior Care also provides personal support services and respite care in the home, as well as an employment program for low-income seniors.

Awards and distinctions
Mercy Care Services has been twice recognized with the Catherine McAuley Award, is a recipient of the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation Managing for Excellence Award (1996) and in 1998 was recognized with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award.

Headquarters in historic Atlanta neighborhood
Committed to the community it serves, Mercy Care Services’ headquarters/clinic site is in the heart of the area honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and numerous African-Americans who built the Atlanta we know today.

The main site, across from the King Memorial MARTA Station at 424 Decatur Street houses Mercy Care's administrative services and a primary health-care clinic. This location places Mercy Care in close proximity to a large portion of its client base of homeless persons and those with marginal economic resources.

Support Mercy Care Services
If you'd like to donate a monetary contribution to support the works of the Sisters of Mercy through Mercy Care Services, please contact Saint Joseph's Mercy Foundation at 404-851-5714.

Volunteer opportunities
Volunteers are always needed at Mercy Care's mobile and fixed clinics and for other community programs. Currently, health-care providers, including physicians (especially podiatrists), nurses and family nurse practitioners, are needed Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Interpreters who are fluent in English and Spanish or Vietnamese also are needed.

Click here to download a Mercy Care Services volunteer application in pdf format.