Release notes: July 9, 2026

In this release: Accessibility code for location search | Events "Add to calendar" update | Differentiating similar links | Screen reader improvement for forms | Missing Content Reference Report upgrade | Fixes

Note: The updates described in these notes will finish rolling out to all clients on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

New accessibility code for location search

Screen readers can now easily tell users what the location search box is for.

What it is

This update adds a hidden text label to the location search bar in the website header so screen readers can read it and notify visually impaired users of the search box purpose.

How it works

When a user clicks or moves into the location search box, a screen reader will announce "Search your location using Address, City or Zip". There is no change to the visual interface.

Why it matters

This change makes it much easier for visually impaired people to use the website search without changing the look of the site layout for everyone else.

Safer and faster way to add events to your calendar

The "Add to Calendar" functionality has been moved in-house.

What it is

This update moves the “Add to calendar” button code from an external vendor to our own file host.

How it works

When a visitor clicks the “Add to calendar" button to save an event to Google or Outlook, the website pulls the code directly from our files instead of reaching out to an outside network.

Why it matters

This makes your site  safer from hackers and prevents unexpected outside changes. It also helps the dropdown calendar menus load quickly and work every single time.

Tell different website links apart with ease

Links that look exactly the same on the screen will now sound different to screen readers.

What it is

This update automatically adds hidden, descriptive code labels to matching link buttons across the website.

How it works

The system adds unique descriptions to buttons on service cards, event cards, and profile pages. Instead of just repeating a generic phrase like "Click to view service," assistive tools will now read the specific destination name, like "Click to view Heart & Vascular".

Why it matters

Visually impaired users can now skim through pages and understand exactly where each link goes without hearing the exact same text over and over.

Hear clear prompts when filling out online forms

Screen readers can now match visible text instructions with the actual blank entry boxes on form pages.

What it is

This update connects text labels to their matching typing boxes in the website's background code.

How it works

The backend code was updated on Local Search and Event Search pages so entry fields are programmatically tied to their respective on-screen text labels,  like "Name, Specialty or Condition" or “Located near”.

Why it matters

Users with vision issues will hear exactly what information an empty field is asking for as they move through a form, making it a much smoother experience.

Clean up broken links with an upgraded dashboard

Track unpublished pages alongside deleted pages to fix dead links quickly.

What it is

This update enhances the Missing Content Reference Report: now missing content is tagged as “Deleted” or “Unpublished” to indicate the nature of the broken link.

How it works

As a DXE Manager, visit the Missing Content Reference Report (Configuration > Mercury Features >Missing Content Reference Report) to see the updated dashboard that displays color-coded badges to separate deleted items from unpublished ones. The scanner now also catches direct text links and automatically removes warnings once a link is fixed.

Why it matters

With the context of “Deleted” vs “Unpublished” readily available, you can decide more quickly how to address broken links and clean up your site experience for your users,

• Navigation menu behavior: This fix resolves a problem  where desktop dropdown menus would close unexpectedly when a user clicked on empty white space, columns, or divider lines. The system now correctly recognizes clicks inside the menu panel and keeps it open until a user clicks an actual link or clicks outside the menu completely. This allows users to browse multi-column layouts naturally without the menu constantly disappearing.
• Keyboard navigation on search inputs: This fix resolves an issue where keyboard tabbing into a search field immediately triggered a “disconnect” command that took the screen focus back out of the field, preventing users from being able to type in a search term using only keystrokes. The update restores full search functionality to keyboard-only users.
• Translated Related Article card links: This fix resolves an issue where screen readers would announce “Read article” in English for related article card links, even when the page was translated in Spanish. Going forward, screen readers now use the proper language when reading off any related article links.