WENTZVILLE, Mo. — Mercy announced plans to build a 75-bed, next-generation hospital in Wentzville to address the tri-county area’s “soaring” population growth.

What You Need To Know

  • The $650 million project will be a 483,000-square-foot medical complex located near the intersection of Interstate 64 and Interstate 70

  • Mercy began to focus on St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties in 2010 after a community master plan was created. Those counties are among the top seven fastest growing counties in the state

  • The hospital also will generate hundreds of new long-term health care jobs, such as primary care physicians, specialists, nurses and other support services. The project will bring local, union construction jobs to the region with work expected to take four years

  • A roundtable will be held by Mercy officials for public and community input

The $650 million project will be a 483,000-square-foot medical complex located near the intersection of Interstate 64 and Interstate 70, according to a press release.

This will be the state’s first completely new, acute-care hospital campus since 2015 when Mercy opened its hospital in Joplin after the 2011 tornado.

“We have grown our Mercy presence in the area over the past decade from three locations to nearly 40, providing adult and pediatric primary and specialty care as well as a critical access hospital in Troy,” said Steve Mackin, Mercy president and CEO.

Mercy began to focus on St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties in 2010 after a community master plan was created. Those counties are among the top seven fastest growing counties in the state, according to the press release.

“When tri-county residents are admitted to a hospital, 18 out of every 100, or 18%, of them travel for care at a Mercy hospital,” the press release states.

The population is predicted to grow to more than 500,000 residents by 2032.

“Now is the time to invest in the future and better serve our patients closer to home. Our data shows us many Mercy patients travel, sometimes more than an hour, from Lincoln and Warren counties into St. Louis County. The need for this facility, while significant today, will only increase as projected growth continues,” Mackin said.

The hospital also will generate hundreds of new long-term health care jobs, such as primary care physicians, specialists, nurses and other support services. The project will bring local, union construction jobs to the region with work expected to take four years, according to the press release.

“Like the Sisters of Mercy before us, we are addressing a need in an area that is lacking enough hospital beds for the growing population,” Mackin said.

“When the current Mercy Hospital St. Louis was built, the area was an apple orchard surrounded by rural farmland – the Sisters’ intuition was correct. As the metro area continues its westward growth, Mercy once again will seek to serve patients so they remain close to home.”

St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann expressed his appreciation of the plans. 

“Mercy is a well-respected provider of health services in the region, and we welcome both the hospital and specialty services surrounding it to St. Charles County,” he said. 

Ehlmann also noted that many St. Charles County residents already use Mercy doctors and services, and a hospital location in the Wentzville area will cut down on time it takes to reach those services.

A roundtable will be held by Mercy officials for public and community input. More information will be provided when that will take place.

Mercy has filed a letter of intent with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for the new hospital.