Mercy clinic opens in Ferguson

Mercy Clinic Primary Care and Women’s Health in Ferguson opened for patient care on July 26. Part of the Health & Homes WestFlo District, the new 5,500-square-foot space, located at 9180 W. Florissant Ave., will serve families in Ferguson and surrounding communities with adult, pediatric and women’s health services. The clinic will serve as a resource for health and wellness in the community, including nutrition, mental health and education. There are openings for medical assistants and registered nurses. Apply online at careers.mercy.net.

Visitation Academy hires new academic dean

Beth Human was named academic dean at Visitation Academy in July. The newly created position emerged after ongoing strategic planning discussions that an academic dean was needed to fully achieve the academy’s future objectives. Human will be instrumental in coordinating academic programs across the school’s three divisions and all academic departments to create an enhanced educational experience for students at every age level. She will partner with educators in curriculum and professional development, while also working to better integrate STEM, entrepreneurship, diversity and global education programs. Human has a doctorate in English and previously served at Thomas Jefferson School.

St. Ann Novena

The 95th annual St. Ann Novena will take place July 18-26 at St. Nicholas Church, 701 N. 18th St. Downtown. Mass times are 12:15 p.m. on weekdays during the novena, 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 22; and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, July 18 and 25. The novena honors St. Ann, the grandmother of Jesus, and began in 1903 at St. Ann Church, with three days of special prayers to the saint leading up to her feast day on July 26. Father James Douglas started the first novena in 1926. It became a popular tradition; attendance grew to more than 5,000 attendees in the early 1940s. In 1992, the parish merged with Visitation Parish in St. Louis, and the shrine to St. Ann moved there. The relics and other devotions came along. With the closure of Visitation-St. Ann in 2016, the shrine to St. Ann moved to St. Nicholas. For more information, visit stnickscatholicchurch.com.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a weekend experience for married couples of all ages. Couples will learn more about effective communication tools during the weekend. The next weekend will take place Sept. 24-26 at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in St. Peters. COVID-related precautions will be in place to provide a safe environment for participants. For more information or to apply, go to wwme.org, or call Terry and Eric Engholm at (314) 649-7317.

NFP introductory sessions

Natural Family Planning (NFP) introductory sessions are available for couples planning their weddings, wanting a natural way to plan their families or having difficulty conceiving. For more information, visit stlouisnfp.org. To schedule an appointment, visit bit.ly/NFPintro. Introductory classes for several methods of NFP are held weekly at a variety of locations across the St. Louis area.

Mercy requiring vaccines

Mercy staff will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, effective Sept. 30. The new requirement comes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly in Missouri, where Mercy has hospitals and clinics in Joplin, Springfield, St. Louis and other locations. Mercy also serves communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma, where COVID numbers are also increasing due to the Delta variant. The majority of Mercy patients recently hospitalized with COVID have not been vaccinated. “What we are seeing aligns with the Associated Press analysis of CDC data,” said Dr. John Mohart, Mercy’s senior vice president of clinical services. “More than 95% of recent hospitalizations across the U.S. are people who aren’t vaccinated. The data is clear. Vaccination is key to saving lives.” For questions about the vaccine or to schedule an appointment, visit mercy.net/covidvaccine.