Mercy Health—St. Rita's Medical Center and Ohio Northern University
Enhance Campus Mental Health Services
LIMA, OHIO (August 9, 2024) - Mercy Health – St. Rita's and Ohio Northern University are pleased to announce an expanded collaboration to enhance mental health services at ONU.
Beginning August 1, 2024, the ONU Student Counseling Center is being staffed and managed by Mercy Health, a division of Bon Secours Mercy Health, recognized as one of the Top 20 health systems in the United States. All current staff members have been invited to continue in their roles under Mercy Health's management, ensuring a seamless transition and continuity of care for students. Mercy Health first partnered with ONU to oversee its on-campus Student Health Center in 2023.
“Mercy Health—St. Rita’s is pleased with the continued collaboration and its positive impact on mental health services at Ohio Northern University,” said Ronda Lehman, President – Mercy Health – Lima. “This strategic partnership is one more step in enhancing access to high-quality health care on ONU’s campus.”
“We continue to develop commonsense partnerships that benefit our students, faculty, and staff,” said ONU President Melissa J. Baumann. “We’re excited to expand our relationship with Mercy Health to add mental health services to their health care offerings on campus, giving our community additional access to the expertise and resources of a top national and regional health care provider.”
Students can expect to receive detailed instructions on accessing the expanded services at the center. With Mercy Health's wide network in Ohio and beyond, many students might already have experience with Mercy healthcare providers.
While Mercy Health—ONU Health Center currently only serves students, plans call for its primary care services to be available to ONU faculty and staff in the future.
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About Mercy Health - Lima
Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH),one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. The ministry’s quality, compassionate care is provided by over 60,000 associates serving communities in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and throughout Ireland. Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center has provided quality health care to the people of Allen County and west central Ohio since 1918. The mission of Mercy Health is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bringing good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying, and underserved. With more than 3,000 employees, physicians, and volunteers in the area, the ministry provides quality, innovative, compassionate care to the greater Lima community. For more information, visit mercy.com.
Ohio Northern University
Located in Northwest Ohio, Ohio Northern University is a private, United Methodist Church-affiliated institution that offers distinctive, nationally recognized programs of study that prepare students to lead, excel and serve throughout the world. In 2024, ONU graduates enjoyed a 96% placement rate in full-time jobs and graduate school admissions. The University and its academic programs are consistently ranked as being among the best in the region, state and nation by entities such as the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News & World Report. ONU’s 3,000 students are enrolled in more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs offered within the colleges of Arts & Sciences, Pharmacy, Engineering, Business Administration and Law. To learn more, visit www.onu.edu.