The new boiler plant at Mercy Medical Center-Cedar Rapids

When you’re in the business of healing, as community hospitals are, the concepts of hope, perseverance and recovery are always at the forefront. While the hospital mission and those important concepts are crucial to any one person’s physical and mental health, they also impact the health and spirit of entire communities.

In 2008, workers tried to protect Mercy Medical Center-Cedar Rapids from rapidly rising flood waters

Such is the case this week in Cedar Rapids, where Mercy Medical Center is celebrating completion of its new boiler plant.

Now, with amazing medical technology providing everything from robotic surgery to high-definition scanning, the opening of a building used to heat water to produce steam for energy seems pretty mundane. But there is far more to this event than bricks, mortar and hot water.

It just so happens that the boiler plant is the final project in Mercy’s recovery from the 2008 flood that overwhelmed Cedar Rapids and, for a short time, shut down the hospital. It’s been a long haul for Mercy, which saw extensive water damage. And though it took less than a month after the flood for the hospital to become fully functional again, work toward complete recovery – including weaning the hospital off of three temporary generators – has been ongoing over the last two years.

The same can be said for all of Cedar Rapids, which has made great progress as it continues to recover from the flood.  The city is a symbol of hope – most certainly for those Iowa communities impacted by high waters in recent weeks – and Mercy’s efforts are an important part of that symbolism.

So it is more than bricks and mortar. It’s about a hospital leading a community and persevering. Yet, there is more to be done.  While the new plant offers some closure, Mercy, along with nearby St. Luke’s Hospital, will continue to do its part to bring the city to a full recovery.

The new boiler plant will just produce steam, but the hospitals will continue to emit a unique energy that helps drive a better future for Cedar Rapids.