Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines this morning formally opened its new pediatric intensive care unit and unveiled a new name for its pediatric services: Mercy Children’s Hospital & Clinics. The new name, effective Nov. 12, “communicates a comprehensive care option for physicians and families when making health care decisions for children,” Mercy said in a release. Mercy’s pediatric emergency physicians admitted more than 16,800 patients to the pediatric emergency center in 2011. Additionally, nearly 8,000 children were admitted to Mercy for inpatient care last year.