Mercyhealth Rockford Region

09/26/2025

Congratulations to our Mercyhealth at Home Hospice team! 🎉

Strategic Healthcare Programs has recognized Mercyhealth Hospice–Illinois for ranking in the top 5% nationwide for overall caregiver and family experience.

This honor is a direct reflection of our incredible clinical, support, and leadership teams, whose compassion and dedication help build strong, trusting relationships with patients and their loved ones from the very beginning. Through high-quality care and thorough education, our team ensures that patients and caregivers feel supported every step of the way. 💙

09/26/2025

Mercyhealth Family Medicine Residency Program Illinois was proud to partner with United Way of Rock River Valley on September 20 to bring Reach Out & Read to Mercyhealth Alpine! 📚

Families enjoyed a fun-filled morning of stories and games, with special thanks to local author Karla Clark, Hammy the Hog from Rockford IceHogs, and Dr. Naser Khan for sharing their storytelling talents. 💙

Reach Out & Read helps promote healthy children and stronger communities by encouraging reading as a key part of childhood development and family bonding.

Thanks for everyone who joined us!

09/25/2025

Happy National Surgical Technologists Week! We’re so grateful for our surgical tech employee partners and the incredible role they play in supporting our patients every day. Thank you for all that you do! 💙

09/25/2025

Congratulations to our Specialty Pharmacy team for earning accreditation from the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC)! 💙🎉

URAC is an independent, nonprofit organization that advances health care quality through its nationally recognized accreditation, education, and measurement programs.

Mercyhealth’s Specialty Pharmacy supports patients living with chronic, complex conditions by providing specialty medications and coordinated care through clinics such as rheumatology, gastroenterology, and pulmonology. These medications often require special handling, close monitoring, and patient education that go beyond what a traditional retail pharmacy can provide.

Located inside Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside, our Specialty Pharmacy proudly serves patients across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/42wKd1I

09/25/2025

Meet Imdad Ahmed, MD, Medical Director of Mercyhealth Arrhythmia Center! He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with added qualifications in Cardiovascular Disease. He is also certified by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and the American Society of Echocardiography.

Dr. Ahmed is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), and a Fellow of Heart Rhythm Society (FHRS).

His special interests include heart failure management; diagnosing and managing abnormal heart rhythms; complex catheter ablations; pacemaker, defibrillation and cardiac resynchronization therapy device implant; lead extraction; and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

In his spare time, Dr. Ahmed likes to stay active through outdoor activities such as photography, hiking and biking, and enjoys spending quality time with his family. He has a passion for reading about advancements in medical technology and innovation in health care leadership. When time allows, he appreciates traveling and exploring different cultures and cuisines. We're happy to have him on our team! 💙

09/25/2025

Meet Darlene, who was living with atrial fibrillation (AFib) and worried about long-term blood thinners. With the support of Dr. Imdad Ahmed and Emily Cox, FNP-C, she found the left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) device, a minimally invasive procedure that reduces stroke risk and can replace blood thinners.

Now, she has peace of mind and a healthier future. 💙
Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Dc5ZLG

09/24/2025

09/23/2025

On September 11, the Forest City Nurse Honor Guard joined Mercyhealth Hospice, family, and friends to honor Joan, a beloved nurse and hospice patient, for her remarkable nursing career and the life she’s lived in service to others. We are grateful to witness and celebrate her story with 🇺🇸.💙

09/23/2025

Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside has been named one of the Top 5 hospitals in Illinois for Critical Care by Healthgrades.

This recognition honors the skill and dedication of our physicians, nurses and care teams who provide lifesaving care for patients facing the most serious and complex health challenges. We are honored to be recognized for the advanced, compassionate care our teams provide when it matters most.

Thank you to our incredible teams for delivering compassionate and dedicated care to our patients and our community every day. 💙

09/22/2025

We're excited to welcome Crystal Rayon, MD, board certified family medicine doctor, to our team at Mercyhealth Cherry Valley! 💙

Dr. Rayon’s special interests include preventive care, acute and chronic disease management, women’s health, contraception management and well-child care

Learn more about Dr. Rayon: https://bit.ly/3HXoBEU
To make an appointment with Dr. Rayon, call (815) 971-3110.

09/21/2025

We’d like to invite you to our next Cancer Survivor Seminar Series on Tuesday, September 24, from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm at Javon Bea Hospital–Riverside (Conference Room B1, near Café Merci).

This month’s topic is “The Importance of Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment,” presented by Monica Manring, Mercyhealth physical therapist, and Kathleen Hedrick, LIVESTRONG instructor at YMCA of Rock River Valley.

The seminar is free and open to everyone! You do not need to be a Mercyhealth patient to attend.

To register, call (888) 396-3729 or sign up online at https://bit.ly/4ngyXzj.

09/19/2025

The best way to keep our community strong? 💪 Get your flu vaccine. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors this season.

Schedule your flu shot today at mercyhealthsystem.org/flu or talk with your primary care team.