Mercy Kids Center for Neurodevelopment Celebrates Grand Opening

ST. LOUIS, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A decades-long dream, years in the making, Mercy Kids Center for Neurodevelopment in Chesterfield is celebrating its official opening, marking a new era of neurodevelopmental care and therapy.

The Mercy Kids Center for Neurodevelopment opened its doors to patients in late January and hosted a ribbon cutting and blessing event on Thursday, April 16. The center provides critical resources and support for children and families across the region. The new space almost quadruples the center's footprint from 12,000 square feet to 43,000 square feet, expanding access to existing services and making room for additional programs.

Neurodevelopmental disorders often emerge in early childhood and affect how the brain develops and functions, influencing learning, communication, movement and social interaction. These conditions include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, communication disorders, intellectual disabilities, motor disorders and specific learning disorders.

The expanded Mercy Kids Center for Neurodevelopment brings together physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and comprehensive autism services under one roof – creating a more seamless, family-centered approach to care.

The Dudleys are one of the many families to benefit from the services at the center, from physical and speech therapy to occupational therapy to comprehensive autism services. The 4-year-old Dudley twins were born prematurely and spent nearly two months in the Mercy Kids neonatal intensive care unit, where they encountered specialists who would become important parts of their lives.

PHOTOS OF DUDLEY TWINS AVAILABLE HERE.

"From learning to sit, talk, stand, walk and more, Mercy has been part of every one of their milestones," said Danielle Doyle, the twins' mom, while reflecting on how Mercy Kids services have impacted their family. "They helped me learn their sensory preferences, how they communicate – not just by words, but by their eye movement or sign language."

Doyle said when they began speech therapy, her son Monroe only had three sounds – not words – and now he is reading complete books at a first-grade level or above.

The center was a labor of love, said Dr. John Mantovani, Mercy Kids pediatric neurologist and medical director of Mercy Kids Center for Neurodevelopment.

"We opened the doors to our new space nearly 40 years to the day after our original St. John's Mercy Child Development Center opened to the region," he said. "We began planning for the new space when we saw the need more than a decade ago, and I am so thankful to welcome new patients and families."

Construction and renovation of the space was made possible entirely through grants and the generosity of donors. Mercy Health Foundation St. Louis reached the ambitious fundraising goal of more than $16 million through the collective efforts of countless supporters, with contributions ranging from small gifts to major donations.

The new center is located at 1415 Elbridge Payne. To learn more or schedule an appointment, click here.

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid. 

SOURCE Mercy