According to an article from Mercy.net, SoutheastHEALTH (the healthcare provider for the SEMO health clinic) and Mercy Hospital signed a definitive agreement for SoutheastHEALTH to become a member of the Mercy multi-hospital System in August of 2023.

Mercy’s website says they provide several services for women’s health, such as pap tests, pregnancy care, births and mammograms, as well as family planning services. However, as a Catholic hospital, they do not provide contraceptive care or birth control.

Associate Professor of Family Studies Dr. Sarah Kuborn is concerned because the entire community of SEMO is losing non-religious medical care.

“SoutheastHEALTH, now Mercy, is also the main hospital that faculty and staff get their insurance from too. So it not just affects students, but it affects our entire area,” Kuborn said. “I'm not super familiar with any changes that have been made. But when the transition happened, I was a little worried that there is now no longer a place that is non-religious based to go to for medical care.”

Director of Human Resources at SEMO Alissa Davis said that the employee health insurance should be unaffected by the hospital change.

“It [SoutheastHEALTH being taken over by Mercy Hospital] should not affect it [employee health insurance] at all. Our employee health insurance plan is separate and apart from any change in ownership or leadership that has been made with Mercy taking over SoutheastHEALTH,” Davis said.

In a formal statement issued by Senior Media Relations Specialist for Mercy Hospital, Joe Poelker recommended that if patients require contraceptive care that Mercy does not provide, Mercy often helps them get in contact with another clinic.

“Mercy provides high-quality care and exceptional service and follows the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. We recognize and respect patients who may want care falling outside these directives, which is why we believe it is important that other healthcare options exist, including independent healthcare providers. There are health care providers in the Cape region who offer these services [contraception care], and we will always make sure that patients get connected to the right care, even if it’s not something we provide,” Poelker stated.

Mercy refused to provide additional interviews and information regarding contraceptive care at their locations.

However, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Sixth Edition, does state the ordinance regarding contraceptive care that all Catholic Hospitals must abide by.

“Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices but should provide, for married couples and the medical staff who counsel them, instruction both about the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood and in methods of natural family planning,” As listed in their guidelines.

Nonetheless, SEMO employees at the health clinic in Crisp Hall are willing to help students get in contact with healthcare providers and pharmacies that can provide contraceptive care.

Family nurse practitioner at SEMO Mercy Campus Health, Rachel Jenkins, said the campus clinic is very willing to work with students on what birth control method is best for them as well as where and how to get it.

“We don't keep any birth control and stock here. What we do is we send it to a pharmacy. If, for some reason, the student doesn't have transportation and needs it delivered to their residence hall, we can have that work through. I think John's Pharmacy does it, but for sure Broadway Pharmacy is usually who we connect with,” Jenkins said.

Despite the switch to a Catholic hospital, students will still continue to have birth control access. One of the many pharmacies located around Cape Girardeau can easily get in contact with the on-campus clinic in order to find out where students can get the birth control that works best for them.