I guess I don't understand that when presented with a great opportunity to nationally honor Janesville as a city, some people in the community immediately look to find the negative. No hospital is perfect, and Mercy is no exception, but can't we respect and be happy for the employees (our community members) who obviously worked hard to earn this award? It seems like they have earned it.

this is bittersweet, really... i know alot of great people working at mercy (several of them are my relatives). they deserve to be recognized and have worked hard to improve mercy's rep. what is sad is that javon will take all of the credit when he is the least deserving of this award. so, my congratulations and respect goes to all of the unrecognized employees who obviously worked towards receiving this award. sorry you have javon as your leader, though.

Dont you think that this all could change if the money is put where needed? not on the CEO's 4 million dollar salary, and pointless awards? What could Mr Bea possibly do to earn 4 million dollars???? As for the doctors not finding adequate dining and entertainment, we are very well placed 30 min away from Rockford or Madison where they should find anything to suit their needs. It all comes down to the health system spending the money to make the SYSTEM attractive enough for the docs to stay, They need equiptment and specialists available to have their patients treated with the state of the art treatments that are out there. Because again they are well placed right between Madison and Rockford. Wouldnt it be something if Mercy was given an award for staff retention, or for having the highest paid staff in all positions? Then they would be able to employ the cream of the crop all around and staff would all stay...happily and patients would be recieving the best in healthcare from every perspective. Hmmm... what would that take?

Ok so the award is a joke. We all know that. We also all know that Mercy is under staffed and under pays. But with all that I think the employees do a good job. I have had mercycare ins. for 10yr. now. First Dr. for 8yr. now with my 2nd for 2yr. I have aways been treated nice and felt like I got good care. For the ED maybe the wait would not be so long if people only went when it was an emergency. If you are just sick or need a couple of stiches go to urgent care. For Dr. changeover i'm sure mercy has something to do with it but not all. How many time have you changed jobs? If I was a Dr. and could work anyplace I wanted. I don't think it would be at a small hospital in Janesville. Where the top stories in the local paper are about a stupid fiberglass cow and if there should be sidewalks or not. Fine shopping is Farm and Fleet or wal-mart and fine dinning is the OCB.

I cracked up laughing over this one!!! How could they receive such an award? Have been treated a few times by their doctors and at the ER. They were extremely rude and uncaring. The wait times at the ER was absolutely ridiculous. I miss my old insurance company and its caring doctors and nurses. Their ER was the best!!!! In the past three years, I have gone through 3 doctors as they each left after 1 year of service with Mercy What gives? Right now, I am without a doctor in this so-called Mercy Health Care system that meets my medical needs and I feel comfortable with!!!! Furthermore, my insurance premium goes up each year and the care goes down. Also, have to pay more for services each year under the co-pay plan.

Lets hear what this award means to us...the public, being served by this fine healthcare system. Mercy paid to "earn" this award. Each year for the past 5 or so years it has cost them big money to apply for the honor, and what for? Is there anyone out there that is changing over from Dean tomorrow?? I really wish someone could get the healthcare industry under control. Pay the staff what they deserve, then you have consistent staff trained and ready to serve. Pay the Physicians, they also will stay and provide. STOP spending money on a foolish award that means nothing to the patient who waits for 3 hours in the ED due to staffing shortages, or cant get an appointment with a specialist, because they have left the system and have not been replaced...over and over, its the same story. When will they realize we just want good consistent healthcare, I dont care about the plaque on Javon's wall in the 4th floor suite, next to the hot tub, or the $40,000.00 boardroom table. I wont even get started on that!!!

I've worked for Mercy and 2 other hospitals. I can honestly say the quality of care at Mercy is much lower than the other hospitals I have worked at. There are A LOT of Mercy employees who do not see Mercy docs for that reason alone. Of course there are horror stories all over. But, having worked here and "there", I can say that Mercy employees as a whole are over-worked and under-appreciated... which is not a good recipe for a "healthy healthcare system."

I think more people would go elsewhere if their health insurance permitted it. The quality of care at Mercy is spotty at best, and not because the people are bad, but because they're perpetually overworked.

I enjoy people whining and complaining about our local hospital. Everyone hates Mercy Health System, but somehow over 1 million patients are seen each year.
If you don't like the health care at Mercy Hospital, go somewhere else, just quit complaining. Our local hospital has won an award which is the highest award for quality. I'm sure they hand these awards out to healthcare Deathstars all the time.
You know the community has a problem if they constantly complain about their healthcare facility and put higher priority to assure the Oasis cow is painted the right colors, ripping apart city government over a broken down shack of a carriage barn, boycotting a local pizza place for perceived non support of the UAW strike,videotaping patrons coming out of strip clubs and constantly spewing hate and mean spirited comments.
I, for one, am proud of the hospital and I am impressed that an independent group can come in and see the quality of our healthcare we have in Wisconsin.
One last note, the comment that Mercy is the deathstar and nobody walks out, the person coining the deathstar pharse would either have never gone to receive Mercy services or is listening to the urban legends which run rampant regarding Mercy and has been since the nuns ran the operation, otherwise if the commentor considers this fact and he has received services at Mercy, wouldn't he still be lost in the abyss of the deathstar?

People exposed to sicknesses at a hospital? Say it isn't so! We should only let healthy people in hospitals for the safety of others.

Seriously, folks, Mercy provides pretty mubh as good of care as anywhere in Wisconsin. I've heard the "horror stories" before, and can probably find the same for any hospital.

Mercy does a good job - and we should be happy to have a locally owned hospital in the community.

Congratulations, Mercy! Well deserved. How long will it take the Gazette to put a negative spin on this one?

Interesting they won this award after exposing patients to disease. See the story in the Gazette regarding them.

I have watched Mercy grow from a small home-town hospital to the system it is today. It is wonderful having the high-quality services close to home. I also appreciate the economic diversity it brings to Janesville.

Congratulations on this national quality award! Great job!

Great job Mercy. Well deserved. Have always provided me, my wife, and kids with great healthcare. Remarkable such an honor is going to an organization in our backyard!

I still consider it the Mercy Death star. When you get injured you go in and never come back.