Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee (Trinity) was established in October 2011 due to the sale of Mercy Health Partners to Health Management Associates (HMA), a for-profit organization. Trinity oversees funds previously raised and managed by the Mercy Health Partners Foundation and its predecessors for support of the non-profit Mercy Health Partners. These funds were transferred to Trinity to create an independent regional health foundation to serve the community’s health needs in 2012.
Mercy Health Partners was formed in 2008 from a merger between St. Mary’s Health System and the Baptist Health System of East Tennessee. The Mercy Foundation was created to raise and distribute funds to support the charitable activities of Mercy Health Partners. Through the years, the Mercy Foundation raised funds through golf tournaments (Peyton Manning Classic), tennis tournaments (Labor of Love), Nautical Mile, 5K runs, and other community events. The Mercy Foundation supported various activities within the Mercy Health Partners system (equipment, advanced health centers, nursing education, specialized cancer care, etc.) and throughout the community (recreation facilities, student scholarships, community clinics, indigent care, etc.). In the transition from Mercy Foundation to Trinity, the organization seeks to preserve the essence of the mission and the intention of the funds while expanding the reach beyond the prior healthcare organization to the entire community.
Trinity is a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation. Trinity received approval for transferring the Mercy Foundation assets from the Tennessee Attorney General in February 2012. Trinity was granted not-for-profit status in August 2012. The Trinity Board of Directors consists of 14 community volunteers and a full-time staff of two people striving to honor the organization’s mission:
Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee extends the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of our community.
