This institution traces its roots back to 1873, when the University of Iowa’s medical department signed an agreement with the Sisters of Mercy to operate a small hospital in the community. Today, it is a 762-bed institution that also includes University of Iowa Physicians, the state’s largest multi-specialty medical group, with more than 650 physicians in 19 clinical departments. The hospital also employs 720 resident and fellow physicians and dentists, 1,671 nurses and nearly 5,000 other professional and support staff. The organization announced last year it was hiring 142 more nurses, citing an increase of in its daily inpatient count from about 50-70. It has an Aa2 bond rating from Moody’s Investor Services.