Shewmaker Named to Board of Directors at Sisters of Mercy Health System

St. Louis, MO (September 4, 2007) - The Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy) is pleased to announce that Jack Shewmaker has joined its Board of Directors for a three-year term. Shewmaker, a resident of Benton County in Northwest Arkansas, retired in 1988 as President and Chief Operating Officer of Wal-Mart Stores. He remains active with Wal-Mart as a member of its Board of Directors.

Shewmaker has served as a consultant to companies around the world and as a board member for organizations including Lowe's, Von's?Safeway, the Cleveland Clinic and Drury University. Besides his active business involvement, Shewmaker is a leader in promoting higher education through Students In Free Enterprise, a global non-profit organization active in more than 40 countries.

"We are honored to welcome Jack Shewmaker to Mercy's Board of Directors and look forward to benefiting from his experience as a business leader and sought-after organizational consultant," said Ron Ashworth, chair of the Mercy Board of Directors.

The Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy) operates hospitals, physician practices, outpatient clinics, health plans and related health and human services in a seven state area including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Its members include 18 acute care hospitals providing more than 4,000 licensed beds, a heart hospital, a managed care subsidiary (Mercy Health Plans), physician practices, outpatient care facilities, home health programs, skilled nursing services and long-term care facilities. Services are provided by approximately 30,000 co-workers and 4,000 physicians who are employed or practice at Mercy facilities. Mercy is the 9th largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. based on net patient service revenue and is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy?St. Louis Regional Community.

In Northwest Arkansas, the Sisters of Mercy Health System sponsors Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, a not-for-profit faith-based health system, that provides healthcare services to residents in northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. The System includes St. Mary's Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, The Gardens at Osage Terrace assisted living facility and Mercy medical clinics in 22 locations throughout northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. Mercy is currently constructing a state-of-the-art medical campus just east of Interstate 540 off New Hope Road in southwest Rogers. When completed in January 2008, the campus will include a 350,000-square-foot medical center with 200 beds and a physician office building to accommodate 90 physicians.