Mercy Health - Cincinnati

At Mercy Health, caring for our community goes far beyond the walls of our hospital.

This year, a multidisciplinary leadership team from Mercy Health — Fairfield Hospital had the incredible opportunity to partner with a 6th-grade classroom in Hamilton through the Adopt-A-Class program — and we’re proud to share that we were named award finalists for this meaningful work!

From day one, this group of students inspired us. They were curious, engaged, and full of thoughtful questions — showing us just how bright the future truly is.

Throughout the school year, our team brought health care to life in the classroom by teaching:
✔️ Vitals and CPR
✔️ Proper handwashing and infection prevention
✔️ Germ growth experiments (definitely a fan favorite! 🤣)
✔️ The many career paths within a hospital and the education needed to get there

To wrap up the year, we welcomed the students to Mercy Health — Fairfield Hospital for a behind-the-scenes experience they won’t forget. They followed the journey of their very own “patient,” Timmy Toughknuckles, and got to see firsthand how our teams work together every day to save lives and provide compassionate care. Their day included:
🚒 Fire truck and ambulance tours
🚓 Police and security vehicles
🏥 ER demonstrations
❤️ Cath lab visit
🧪 Lab and phlebotomy
🧠 Inpatient rehab activities
🫁 Respiratory therapy

But the most powerful moment? When we asked how many could see themselves working in health care someday… nearly HALF the class raised their hands. And not just as doctors or nurses — these students now understand the many roles that make health care possible, from lab techs and therapists to imaging, security, and more.

(And yes… one future “chicken tender specialist,” because apparently ours are the best around)

Programs like Adopt-A-Class remind us why we do what we do. We’re not only caring for patients today — we’re helping inspire the caregivers of tomorrow.

We are deeply grateful to be part of this amazing program and even more thankful for the opportunity to invest in our community’s future.

Thanks to a Step Into Swim grant, Mercy Health — Forest Park Internal Medicine and Pediatrics made a meaningful splash in the community this spring by providing free swim lessons to more than 80 children.

Hosted at the Princeton High School Natatorium, the program paired young swimmers with certified student athletes from the school’s swimming and water polo teams. Together, they built more than just confidence in the water — they taught life-saving skills that help keep kids, families and our community safer. Students received a Mercy Health towel at the conclusion of the session, provided by Mercy Health Foundation Cincinnati.

Beyond learning how to swim, participants were encouraged to continue their journey by joining local swim teams or pursuing lifeguarding — creating pathways for ongoing growth, leadership and community engagement.