Just days before Joplin marked the one year anniversary of a killer super tornado, Mercy announced a $5 million gift from the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington to fund a neonatal intensive care unit.
The NICU will be part of the pediatric section at Mercy Hospital Joplin, a replacement hospital currently under construction in this southwestern Missouri community. Its predecessor hospital, St. John's Regional Mercy Medical Center, was destroyed May 22, 2011, when it and a wide swath of Joplin sustained a direct hit from an F-5 tornado. The storm killed 161 people and destroyed 8,000 buildings.
Joplin's response along with the commitment of Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy to rebuild in Joplin and keep its workforce employed in the interim drew the attention of UAE Ambassador Al Otaiba and the UAE government, which contributes to international emergency relief and humanitarian aid in areas that have been affected by conflict and natural disasters. In a release announcing the gift Otaiba said, "The resilience of the people of Joplin is an inspiration to the entire world."
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