Mercy Health Foundation Southeast Names Senior Development Officer

Mercy Health Foundation Southeast welcomes a new senior development officer, Shelby Bentley. Bentley joins the foundation with an impressive background in non-profit work, most recently with the American Red Cross.

“Shelby Bentley comes to Mercy Health Foundation Southeast with proven success in cultivating donors and building relationships,” said Darah Jirkovsky, Mercy Health Foundation Southeast executive director. “Her talent and experience will be a great asset to Mercy Southeast.”

Bentley will focus on helping the foundation continue to support initiatives that will enhance patient care and services within southeast Missouri.

“I am beyond thrilled to work with Mercy Health Foundation,” Bentley said. “I am looking forward to building relationships with our generous donors who help fund a wide array of programs. It has been a passion of mine to be positively involved in supporting the health and wellness of our community. My mother and sister are both nurses. They have inspired me to help others in a non-clinical capacity.”

Bentley earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in marketing and sales management from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Mercy Health Foundation Southeast gives back to its communities in many impactful ways. These include the Cancer Care Fund which provides assistance with transportation, nutritional supplements, medications and other urgent necessities for patients in need. For our youngest patients, the foundation recently provided the obstetrics unit with a mobile fetal monitor. Students pursuing a career in health care benefit from scholarships provided through the foundation. Patients who are at risk of hunger go home with a generous supply of food through the Patient’s Pantry along with options for ongoing food assistance. “These are examples of how our donors help us continue our commitment to building healthier lives,” noted Jirkovsky.

Community benefits like these foundation programs are just one way Mercy gives back to its communities. These community benefits along with the free care Mercy provided, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid, combined for more than half a billion dollars of support to Mercy’s communities in fiscal year 2023.