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Mercy Health employees get new Cruzes
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Mercy Health employees were given an early Christmas present Thursday morning.
Twenty-five sparkling silver Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruzes lined the rooftop of the St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital’s parking deck ready for someone to sit in the seat, start the engine and cruise.
“It’s important to make sure we are continuing to support our local community,” said Michael Robinson, executive director of home care for Mercy Health, which owns St. Elizabeth.
The Cruzes will be used by Mercy Health home health care professionals who work in the tri-county area.
Mercy Health partners with General Motors to support the local plant where about 4,500 build the compact car. More than 1.4 million Cruzes have been built in the past five years. Next spring, a new Cruze model will be unveiled.
The Cruze and the Chevrolet Impala are best-sellers for Mike Wilson, district sales manager of commercial and fleet sales for General Motors.
The Cruze brings value and safety features that businesses like to see, he said, including 10 air bags and hands-free calling.
“The current generation of employees are a big part of the success,” Wilson said.
The new fleet of Cruzes isn’t the first Mercy Health purchased. In the past four to five years, there have been 27 Cruzes purchased. The most-recent purchase is an investment of more than $450,000 by Mercy Health, which bought the Cruzes from Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC in Boardman.
“The clinicians are happy,” Robinson said. “The Cruzes help prevent wear and tear on their own personal vehicles. Another piece is it improves safety. They are driving a brand-new car.”