Mercy Cedar Rapids to open off-site Emergency Room in Marion

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) - Mercy Cedar Rapids said it plans to build a second off-site Emergency Room in Marion, with an anticipated opening in 2024.

The site will be located at 3701 Katz Drive, off 10th Avenue in Marion, next to the MercyCare Marion clinic.

In a press release, Mercy officials said the development of a second off-site Emergency Department comes in response to the need for more capacity, which was particularly evident during the height of the most recent respiratory illness season.

Mercy’s first Emergency Department opened in 2020 in Hiawatha, and was the first in Iowa to be built outside a hospital setting.

The new Marion location is expected to be developed following the model of the Hiawatha location.

“Healthcare is challenging us to continue to think differently about how and where patients want to receive care,” Timothy Quinn, MD, Mercy’s president & CEO, said in a press release. “This new ED location reflects our commitment to adjusting how we provide care based on what is best for the community. We’re being responsive to what patients are telling us they want for healthcare services. Marion is the perfect location for us to expand; the new ED location will provide easier access to a growing community with the major access points of highways 151 and 13 nearby.”

The new location will offer on-site radiology and lab services, and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Mercy plans to transfer existing staff to the new location and to add additional staffing.