Catholic Health World - July 1, 2019

PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION

JULY 1, 2019 VOLUME 35, NUMBER 12

Ministry celebrates Sr. Carol Keehan, commissions Sr. Mary Haddad

Catholic health care’s positive influence can right wrongs

Catholic Health Assembly ushers in new chapter for CHA

By JULIE MINDA

DALLAS — During a packed three days in the Lone Star State, speakers and nearly 850 attendees at the Catholic Health Assembly honored Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, on the eve of her retirement as CHA president and chief executive officer and welcomed her successor, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM. CHA Board Chair Kevin Sexton announced that CHA is inaugurating the “Sister Carol Keehan Award” at next year’s assembly to recognize an individual who has “demonstrated a deep commitment to social justice and the common good” and works courageously on behalf of the most vulnerable in society.

Sr. Carol had held CHA’s top position for nearly 14 years. Sr. Mary, who was CHA vice president of sponsorship and mission services, succeeds Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, left, and Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, share the her in the association’s top post. stage at the assembly.

I write to you in late May from 35,000 feet on my return flight to St. Louis. I’ve spent the week under Sr. Carol’s tutelage in CHA’s Washington, D.C., office, getting oriented for my new role at CHA which officially begins July 1.

But at this moment, as the plane ascends, the landscape is awash in cloud dappled sunlight, I pause to let go of the stress of travel and take in God’s grandeur below. I can’t help but ponder my role in this vast universe.

I am reminded that each of us in Catholic health care are called to be God’s hands reaching out to care for the poor and the vulnerable. It is a Continued on 13

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By SR. MARY HADDAD, RSM CHA president and chief executive officer

During the opening session of the assembly, Michael Slubowski, outgoing chair of the CHA Board of Trustees, told attendees, “I know that you share my feelings of respect, gratitude and love for Sr. Carol. I have said over and over again that she exemplifies the words, ‘caring spirit.’ We are so inspired by her leadership and resolve and her unrelenting commitment to our healing ministry.”

At Sr. Mary’s commissioning ceremony the following day, Sexton spoke of Sr. Mary’s broad experience, personal confidence, engaging interpersonal skills and strong faith. He said she has the characteristics needed “to take on this leadership challenge and succeed.”

Quoting Sr. Carol, Sexton said, “Under Sr. Mary’s leadership, I believe Catholic health care’s best days are ahead of it.”

‘Challenging’ times During general session remarks, Sr. Carol said the past year has been financially challenging for almost Continued on 12

CEO panelists: Mergers, acquisitions can further the Catholic health mission

By KEN LEISER

By JULIE MINDA

DALLAS — Long before his Emmy Awardwinning journalism career and anchor spot on the ABC hidden-camera series “What Would You Do?”, 6-year-old John Quiñones sat in Mrs. Gregory’s first-grade class.

DALLAS — Some of the largest systems in the Catholic health ministry have undertaken a dizzying array of mergers, consolidations, acquisitions and divestitures in recent years.

At the Catholic Health Assembly, three Catholic health care executives described how and why their organizations are entering into the deals they’re choosing to complete — and how those decisions relate to the ministry’s mission. The June 10 panel was called “Heart of the Matter: A CEO Fireside Chat.”

During the question-and-answer-style chat at the assembly, Lloyd Dean, Kevin Lofton and Mary Starmann-Harrison gave their takes on the pros, cons, challenges and benefits of those deals. Dean and Lofton are chief executives of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health; and Starmann-Harrison is president and chief executive of Hospital Sisters Health System, a 15-hospital system based in Springfield, Ill. CHA board chairman Kevin Sexton moderated the discussion.

In the spotlight during the session was the Jan. 31 merger that united Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives to form the 142-hospital, $29.2 billion CommonSpirit Health. Lofton said CommonSpirit has the potential to alter the landscape of health care in the United States.

“A small goal,” he joked.

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

Quiñones shares his journey from poverty to broadcasting career

John Quiñones

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

Discussing church relations are, from left, Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, and Fr. J. Bryan Hehir. Session moderator Kim Daniels is at right. Sr. Carol retired as CHA’s president and chief executive officer at the end of June. Bishop McKnight heads the Diocese of Jefferson City, Mo. Fr. Hehir is professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life at Harvard University and Daniels is associate director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.

It was his first day in public schools in San Antonio. He spoke no English. Mrs. Gregory spoke no Spanish. He mistakenly thought the recess bell at 10 a.m. meant school was out for the day, so he went home.

His late mother, Maria, who had to drop out of grade school to go to work, grabbed him by the ear that day and took him back to Mrs. Gregory’s class. “She knew the value of an education not having gotten one herself,” Quiñones recalled.

During a June 10 keynote address at the Catholic Health Assembly, Quiñones Continued on 13

Panelists say honesty, remorse and decisive action are needed to repair church

By MARY ANN STEINER

DALLAS — The 2019 Catholic Health Assembly’s opening session was a panel discussion about church relations, with particular focus on the clergy sexual abuse crisis and how it is affecting the credibility of the church’s sponsored ministries, including Catholic health care.

The participants were Fr. J. Bryan Hehir, professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, who was until June 30 CHA’s president and chief executive officer; and Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Mo. Kim Daniels, associate

director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, facilitated the conversation.

Daniels set the context by identifying the particular crises of the last year that have rocked the Catholic faithful and marked this as a crucial moment in Catholic history: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was expelled from the priesthood after the church determined there were credible allegations that he had sexually abused minors and seminarians; Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s subsequent resignation over what he did not bring to light related to accusations of sexual abuse by clerics; the Pittsburgh grand jury report on ongoing clergy abuse over Continued on 10

New model Dean said that, orchestrated correctly, mergers and acquisitions can hugely Continued on 12

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

Serving in the spirit of the Gospel at a time of hope and challenge KEVIN J. SEXTON 2019-2020 Chairperson CHA Board of Trustees

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

I

t is an honor to work with and represent the people of Catholic health care. I am aware that I take on this role at a time of great hope and great challenge.

At this year’s Catholic Health Assembly, we paid tribute to Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, and marked the transition of CHA executive leadership from Sr. Carol to Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM. We are thankful for the career of service of Sr. Carol, and especially her extraordinary contributions to Catholic health care as a nurse, as an executive and then as chief executive officer of CHA where she represented and advocated for all of us while urging those working in Catholic health care to be the best servants of the Gospel. Sr. Carol served with great dedication and clear principles. Her faith in God and in all of us sustained her in the cauldron of public life in America — a tough place to be these days.

Catholic health care was blessed to have Sr. Carol, and I thank her on behalf of all of us.

We are also thankful and hopeful that Sr. Mary has stepped up to lead Catholic health care forward in a tumultuous world.

Sr. Mary will be a great leader as a woman religious with the broad experience, the personal confidence, the interpersonal skills, and the faith to take on this leadership challenge and succeed.

It is a privilege to work with the CHA board, the association’s executive team and staff and especially with all of you. Our task is clear: Work together to bring our skills, our experience, and most importantly, our commitment to serving in the spirit of the Gospel to the benefit of the people of this country, especially those who are most in need. We are here for those who the Gospel says hunger and thirst for justice.

Kevin J. Sexton

A quarter century ago, I had the opportunity at a CHA assembly to make the opening presentation about the importance and relevance of mission in achieving true success in Catholic health care. Those were also challenging times. A new company called Columbia/HCA was devouring health care entities like a giant Pacman; and serious (although misguided) people were predicting that U.S. health care delivery would soon be controlled by three to five companies.

It was not clear how Catholic health care would survive in these circumstances.

But Catholic health care did survive the 1990s and indeed has often flourished. In a rapidly consolidating health care sector, Catholic systems came together in the mid1990s under CHA’s facilitation for a deep dialogue, thoughtful analysis of market trends and clarification of ministry goals in a process called the “New Covenant.” The New Covenant promoted collaboration as

a way to strengthen the ministry and secure its values-based health care.

Today, we again find ourselves facing heightened challenges and risks. Attacks on Medicaid, the stresses on the Medicare Trust Funds and the consolidation of payer strength tell us that we must be proactive and smart in defining and leveraging our strengths in the interest of our mission.

What are those strengths? Catholic health care has institutions today that dwarf their size and capacity in the 1990s in ways we probably couldn’t have imagined when we embarked on the New Covenant. We have built highly integrated delivery systems, increased financial and operational strength and developed far more sophisticated tools.

But at a time when public trust in large institutions is wavering, our greatest strength is you and the people on the ground in our institutions who prove Catholic health care is different in ways that matter to real people. If our staffs and the general public believe that being a Catholic health care provider means that patients will be treated lovingly and skillfully when vulnerable and in need, and if it means that our institutions take demonstrated business risks through their service to the poor in the spirit of the Gospel, we will have a great future.

I believe this because of faith, but also because I have seen it.

The Catholic system I served, Holy Cross Health, was successful during this decade in gaining approval to build a new hospital and related capacity. It bested fierce competition for that right and did so in a highly regulated state that had not approved a new hospital in over 25 years. The new facility was constructed on public land — the county’s community college campus — something that had not been done before in the United States, overcoming objections about separation of church and state. That success was a direct result of mission-driven planning

and action.

Many years before submitting the certificate of need application for the new hospital, at a time of crisis due to a lack of prenatal care for poor immigrants, our institution alone in a county of 1 million people stepped up to create the Maternity Partnership with our county government. We weren’t the biggest health provider, we surely weren’t the richest, but we were following the Sisters of the Holy Cross who taught us to “see a need, meet a need.”

By the time we opened that new hospital, over 20,000 poor, pregnant women had been served by the Maternity Partnership at our institution. In addition, we had provided gynecological care and primary care at six sites and were providing 50,000 visits per year to people who had no other access to health care.

In opinion surveys and government deliberations on the CON, the respect we had earned for doing what was consistent with our mission carried the day. That is why I believe mission fulfillment is our greatest strength.

So how should CHA relate to this effort?

The CHA board’s focus is on helping Catholic health care thrive. We believe that thriving means that Catholic health care is: respected as a Catholic ministry by the church and the public. broadly appreciated as a servant of — and an advocate for — the poor and the institutions that serve the vulnerable. sustainable due to its demonstrated excellence, its special standing as a defender of those in need, and its wide range of positive community relationships, including ever stronger relationships with other Catholic institutions.

As long as Catholic health care leaders keep a central focus on innovation, adaptation and service in the spirit of the Gospel, that future is possible.

MICHAEL A. SLUBOWSKI 2018-2019 Chairperson CHA Board of Trustees President and chief operating officer Trinity Health, Livonia, Mich.

A

s of this writing, I have served in leadership roles in the Catholic health ministry for over 30 years. And while I’ve had many amazing experiences, one of the highlights has been the blessing and honor to serve as your chair of the CHA Board of Trustees for this past year. I have had the privilege of developing relationships and friendships with so many colleagues who are passionately committed to our healing ministry.

Working with Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, the CHA staff, fellow board members and the CEO search committee has been a lifechanging experience. And while the search process took up the majority of my time as board chair, the association’s staff has moved forward many important initiatives in advocacy, sponsor formation and leadership formation. Project Legacy, the Ministry Identity Assessment tool and the launch of a Catholic Clinical Ethics academic program in partnership with Georgetown University and Catholic University of America are a few recent examples of advancements that demonstrate value to all members of CHA. We are so grateful for Sr. Carol’s contributions to the Catholic health ministry.

She exemplifies the words, “caring spirit.”

I have grown more deeply in my faith and my commitment and resolve as a Catholic health care leader as a result of observing Sr. Carol’s unrelenting and unflappable commitment to ministry and to advancing — in body, mind and spirit — the human condition for all people, regardless of means, race, religion or creed.

I am grateful for the work of the CEO

search committee in vetting candidates to recommend to CHA’s board. We are excited and blessed to have Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, as the association’s new president and chief executive officer. As CHA’s vice president of sponsorship and mission services and in prior leadership posts with her congregation, Sr. Mary has demonstrated her leadership skills. During her decade with CHA, Sr. Mary has connected with many colleagues and leaders across our ministry and visited many of our ministries. She will “hit the ground running” to advance CHA’s three pillars — advocacy, church relations and Catholic identity, and member engagement.

She and Sr. Carol have been great partners, and the transition will be smooth.

From a national perspective, this has been another year of changes and challenges for the Catholic health ministry and for CHA. We’ve had to play a lot of defense with our advocacy efforts. We’ve defended against continued attempts to weaken or repeal the Affordable Care Act through both legislative and administrative actions; attempts to reduce or eliminate 340B drug pricing supports; and efforts to introduce waivers or block grants for Medicaid.

More and more Medicare members are moving into Medicare Advantage products, and health systems are being treated as commodities by payers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is attempting to de-risk and shift all responsibility for cost of care to payers and providers. In the private sector, egregious actions by payers to deny payment for care under the pretense of lack of medical necessity have escalated.

Various proposals for health coverage have been proposed, including “Medicare for All.” We’ve seen more states passing bills to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Finally, we’ve seen several Catholic hospitals close or be sold to secular and for-profit organizations.

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

Catholic health ministry: A future inspired by the Holy Spirit

Michael A. Slubowski

It would be easy to throw up our hands and give up, but we aren’t succumbing to downward spiral thinking. We are inspired by the Holy Spirit to stay open to possibilities — to seek a better way, to support the people and communities we serve with health care, that most personal of human services.

I am so encouraged by the ways in which Catholic health care providers are attending to excellence in health delivery and advocacy for health care access for all, and I’m inspired by our important work to move upstream and address the social influencers of health that can lead to healthier communities. We are partnering with others and using the resources we have to move outside of traditional health delivery and provide social support — housing, food, behavioral health, education, employment — to improve health status and life quality for those on the economic margins. Our award winners at the Catholic Health Assembly

are examples of this commitment. There are thousands of proactive, collaborative initiatives around social determinants of health across our membership.

With Kevin Sexton, CHA’s 2019-2020 board chair, and Sr. Mary leading the effort, CHA soon will begin work on the association’s next strategic plan. We will strive to approach this work with openness and a “beginner’s mind,” and we will engage the membership at large in a consideration of how the Catholic health ministry can thrive and how it can be distinctive in carrying out and advancing our shared mission. Some of the questions that will be addressed include: How can we differentiate ourselves from other providers in a significant way — beyond “balanced scorecard” measures that everyone measures on cost, quality, safety, stewardship?

What would motivate more communities to seek a Catholic health organization to expand in their communities?

How can we create a brand reputation that makes Catholic health care ministries the “go to” place for care in our communities for all populations — people who are underserved as well as those who are insured — thereby contributing to growth and sustainability of the ministry?

These, and many other questions, will be addressed by all of us as we work together on an exciting future for CHA and the Catholic health ministry at large. There is a hopeful future for us if we keep our mission and values at the forefront and remain open to the Holy Spirit for inspiration and guidance as we create a better future for the people and communities we serve. God bless all of you as you engage with CHA in the creation of a better world that furthers God’s plan for us while on this earth — to serve and love one another.

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

ASSEMBLY 2019

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‘Medicare for All’ not likely to gain traction, former Senate leaders say

Vice President Communications and Marketing Brian P. Reardon Editor Judith VandeWater jvandewater@chausa.org 314-253-3410 Associate Editor Julie Minda jminda@chausa.org 314-253-3412 Associate Editor Ken Leiser kleiser@chausa.org 314-253-3437 Advertising ads@chausa.org 314-253-3424 Graphic Design Les Stock

Former Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle, left, a South Dakota Democrat, and Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, discuss the nation’s fractious health policy debate and identify potential areas for bipartisan cooperation on June 9 at the Catholic Health Assembly.

Medicare excludes coverage for vision, hearing and long-term care.

Medicare has four distinct categories of coverage: hospital coverage, physician coverage, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug coverage. Daschle said Medicare Advantage Plans administered by private insurers have been growing in popularity since they were introduced in the 1990s. About one in three Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in these plans today.

How Medicare is extended to “all” will bear heavily on the costs of the program, Frist said. If “for all” means

350 million people, Medicare will become a $30 trillion program that will significantly increase Americans’ tax bills, he warned. By contrast, the taxpayer share of the Affordable Care Act is about $1 trillion.

“So then the Medicare for All when you start dissecting it starts to lose some support,” said Frist, who added that support still remains strong at 62 percent.

But tell people that they will have to give up their private insurance or see a significant jump in their taxes, he said, and the support erodes. Frist stressed that the price of Medicare will grow significantly even if it is not expanded beyond those

already eligible. The Congressional Budget Office forecasts that Medicare will grow to about 6 percent of the gross domestic product within 10 years, he said, compared to 3.2 percent today if no changes are made.

“I think it’s fair to say there is little likelihood that Medicare for All is going to pass any time in the future,” Daschle said.

“There’s strong support for an employer-based system. There’s strong support for Medicare. What we haven’t really been able to figure out is how do we fix the individual marketplace adequately,” he said.

He added there is significant bipartisan support for requirements that insurers provide coverage for people with preexisting conditions. That requirement was established by the ACA but is being challenged by a group of Republican attorneys general and governors in Texas v. United States, a case that is before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The circuit court could affirm through the appeals process the lower court decision to repeal the ACA’s mandate that requires individuals to have credible health insurance coverage. If that happens, the rest of the ACA could be struck down. Frist said a repeal of the individual mandate will spark a rise in uncompensated care at U.S. hospitals.

Daschle said it is possible that Congress could reach bipartisan consensus on a reinsurance program to shore up insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions.

The ACA passed without a single Republican vote. Frist and Daschle agreed that the partisan nature of its passage plays a major role in the ongoing rancor over the law. “It’s an absolute truism, the only permanent legislation is bipartisan legislation,” Daschle said.

Happiness guru shares simple steps for more positive outlook

By JULIE MINDA

DALLAS — Most people say they want to be happy. But in a prosperous era in the United States, depression, suicide and loneliness are at epidemic levels.

That is according to author, speaker, and happiness blogger Neil Pasricha, the closing speaker at the Catholic Health Assembly here. He asked those gathered: “If we all want happiness, why don’t we

Catholic Health World (ISSN 8756-4068) is published semi­monthly, except monthly in January and July, and copyrighted © by the Catholic Health Association of the United States. POSTMASTER: Address all subscription orders, inquiries, address changes, etc., to Kim Hewitt, 4455 Woodson Road, St. Louis, MO 63134-3797; phone: 314-253-3421; email: khewitt@chausa.org. Periodicals postage rate is paid at St. Louis and additional mailing offices. Annual subscription rates: CHA members $45, others $55 and foreign $55.

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have it?”

Pasricha has reviewed research on happiness and identified simple ways for people to increase their happiness. If people want to be happier, he recommends they break free of some of the trappings of modern-day life and develop a routine of indulging in healthy habits that increase positive thinking.

Pasricha told assembly attendees the seeds of his evolving philosophy that happiness lies in the simplest of things had their roots in his childhood. He and his sister grew up in Canada, the children of new immigrants who lived modestly in their new country. The children lacked for nothing, but they took that stability for granted as most children would. His father often told his children to appreciate how lucky they were. That advice would prove inspirational to Pasricha early in his adult life when he was brought low by circumstances.

In a span of three days, Pasricha’s wife of two years told him she wanted a divorce and then his best friend committed suicide.

Burying his friend, selling his house, handling the divorce — Pasricha recalled, “I was a mess.”

During a drive home from work, Pasricha said his father’s words about gratitude came back to him. He started a blog, “1000 Awesome Things,” to cheer himself up by writing short takes on things that make him happy. His joys are simple: A waiter or waitress who brings a drink refill unprompted.

The comfort of wearing warm underwear, just out of the dryer.

Pasricha said the blog initially had an audience of one — his mom — then two when his dad began reading it. The blog began to gain a following; traffic exploded after an international academy named it the best blog in the world. Book offers and speaking engagements followed. He’s now

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

DALLAS — “Medicare for All” will remain a centerpiece of political debate up to and beyond the 2020 presidential election, but there is little chance Congress will pass such a sweeping overhaul of the health care system anytime soon, two former Senate leaders told the Catholic Health Assembly.

“It is embedded in the political narrative over the next 18 months, but probably for much longer than that,” said former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.

“Why? Because Medicare for All is really asking for better value, better access, less chaos. It’s having an impact.”

Frist, a Republican who now chairs the executive board of the health service private equity firm Cressey & Company, appeared onstage with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat and chief executive of the Daschle Group, a strategic advisory firm. During their hour-long “chat” the two men staked out areas of potential political consensus, in stark contrast to the hyper-partisan tenor of Washington politics today.

They speak at least once a month, touching upon the central questions of how best to go about strengthening the individual market for health insurance and how to arrive at consensus on the proper role of government in U.S. health care finance and infrastructure.

Daschle said the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010, was the most recent attempt to answer the question about the role of government in health care finance.

As the ACA has been weakened by court decisions, congressional actions and regulatory changes, several prominent Democratic presidential hopefuls — including Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders — have touted Medicare for All. But Frist and Daschle agree that there is no clear consensus on what is even meant by Medicare for All. Some proponents favor universal coverage while others think a Medicare option should be available to people beginning at age 55.

“Medicare is a great program and both of us have worked hard to make it better,” said Frist, a heart and lung transplant surgeon who was Senate majority leader from 2003 to 2007. He succeeded Daschle in that leadership role. He said Medicare coverage has gotten better in the last decade or so. “Still, it only pays for about 60 percent of the overall health care cost for seniors.”

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By KEN LEISER

Neil Pasricha

published several books on happiness.

Pasricha said despite unexpected commercial success, he was not happy. In reviewing research on happiness, Pasricha found studies show that people who regularly practice habits that rejuvenate their brains, are happier. He’s identified three habits that he says when practiced for 20 minutes daily, can improve mental outlook. The habits are: reading a fiction book, taking a brisk nature walk or completing a journal entry. He said he’s practiced these habits to improve his well-being, and he encourages other people to do the same. jminda@chausa.org

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

ASSEMBLY 2019

Community benefit work requires flexibility, partnerships, experts say

Innovative approaches During the gathering, Ross and the other contributors described how their organizations have pursued partnerships to address community needs.

Bon Secours Baltimore is a stabilizing anchor institution in West Baltimore, one of the most violent and impoverished sec-

Dr. Samuel Ross

tions of the city. By only creating programming that residents have asked for, and by always involving the residents in program design, Bon Secours Baltimore and its dozens of partner organizations are taking on poverty, crime recidivism, problems with health care and mental health access, unemployment, urban blight, family and housing instability in West Baltimore.

Phoenix’s Dignity Health Arizona and a health plan it co-sponsors called Mercy Care Plan have created a coordinated care model for a vulnerable patient population.

They help their 20,000 plan members — all of them insured under a Medicaid contract — to more easily access medical and behavioral health care from Dignity Health and partnering organizations. Many in the patient population have serious mental health conditions. With these conditions addressed in an ongoing way, clients have gained the stability needed to accept help with socioeconomic needs, according to presenters Douglas Watson, chief financial officer of Dignity Health Arizona, and Lorry Bottrill, chief executive of Mercy Care Plan.

To enhance the impact of its community benefit work, Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio, has added a rigorous assessment and reporting protocol, said Ladonya Brady, the system’s director of

urban health. Now all people receiving services through Mount Carmel’s six community benefit initiatives, as well as through several hospital departments, are screened for socioeconomic needs and referred to partner organizations that can meet those needs. Intensive case management is available to program clients with the greatest level of needs.

Chief Executive Medrice Coluccio and Chief Nursing Officer Michelle James, both of Providence Health and Services of Southwest Washington, told the audience about a Community Care Center the system has helped to create in Olympia, Wash., where unsheltered people can get many of their pressing needs met in one stop. Clients can shower, wash their clothes and grab some food. And they can meet in-person with representatives of organizations that can assess and address their medical, mental health and social services needs.

ing sure associates understand the purpose and goals of the changes. People will resist change if they don’t know why it’s needed, multiple presenters said.

Accountability and measurement also are essential. Organizations must prove the value of their approaches and attract more partners and funding, the presenters agreed. Several presenters stressed that their organizations’ data demonstrate that people whose basic socioeconomic needs are met are less likely to access the emergency department for nonemergency needs. When psychiatric services are available and accessible in the community, people with chronic mental illness are less likely to come to the emergency room in crisis.

Meaningful community benefit work is “complex, messy and not for the faint of heart,” acknowledged Providence’s James.

But, said Brady, “if we better align resources (with our partners) and ensure the information we’re providing to people is relevant, we’ll improve outcomes” —

Good partners Although the presenters’ organizations are taking very different approaches to social determinants of health work, all said the clients must be at the heart of all program planning, development and evolution. They said partnering organizations must be chosen carefully for mission fit and commitment to the work.

The presenters said As part of its community benefit work, Bon Secours Community Works consistent, transparent hosts back-to-school open houses. Tiffany Solomon, a family support communications are specialist, doubles as a face painter at one such event. essential to maintaining fruitful partnerships that multiply the both for individual patients and for the partners’ reach and impact. broader community.

The presenters said that working pro“To have a lasting impact, we must ductively with a partner requires both par- address the needs outside our walls,” she ties to adapt new approaches to their work. said.

This requires buy-in from the people who do the work, a goal best achieved by mak- jminda@chausa.org Courtesy of Bon Secours/© Harry Connolly

DALLAS — The stakes are high for ministry providers to get community benefit right.

It’s not just that government entities and insurers are watching and incentivizing nonprofit health care providers to ensure they address people’s socioeconomic needs. It is also that doing this work effectively is central to the mission of Catholic health care. Homelessness, addiction and mental health concerns cause suffering for individuals and communities; and ministry providers want to be part of the solution.

Six ministry community benefit leaders told a gathering of their peers that their systems and facilities are doing all they can to maximize the reach and impact of their community benefit work, for the good of struggling community members. During CHA’s pre-assembly community benefit program on June 9, the presenters said that community needs are so great that no one health care system or facility could tackle all of them independently.

Because the social problems at the center of community benefit work are intractable, it is essential to build deep and lasting collaborations with like-minded organizations. These themes emerged during a program called “The Heart of Community Benefit — Relationships, Accountability and Impact.”

“How do you go farther in and deeper down in community benefit work?” Dr. Samuel Ross asked. “It’s through relationships and partnerships.” Ross is president of Bon Secours Baltimore Health System and chief community health officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health System of Cincinnati.

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By JULIE MINDA

Catholic eldercare faces escalating workforce, marketplace pressures DALLAS — Catholic eldercare ministries are being challenged to attract and retain qualified workers, to maintain their Catholic identities in a consolidating sector, and to meet shifting expectations of seniors — all while keeping pace with a rapidly aging population, an aging services expert said during a pre-assembly seminar on the state of Catholic long-term care.

Susan McDonough is a consultant in Catholic eldercare and post-acute care at Ziegler, a specialty investment bank in Chicago. She and other panelists told about 100 people who gathered for the “Heart of Aging Services” event on June 9 that Catholic health systems will be forced to adapt to shifting market forces and demographics.

“Senior living and health care is becoming much more complex,” said McDonough, who has served on the boards of Presence Health in Chicago, now part of Ascension/AMITA Health, and CHA. She is a former vice president of strategy and system development for Covenant Health in Tewksbury, Mass.

From 2020 to 2060, the U.S. population over age 65 is expected to nearly double to about 100 million, McDonough said.

Today, the average age at which people move into independent living facilities is 80. This suggests that people are staying healthier and are working hard to retain their independence. When and if they make the decision to move out of their homes, many seniors will favor settings

that are not institutional.

Still, a significant percentage of elderly Americans will have progressive debilitating conditions and will require higher levels of supportive care and services.

For example, during the next six years, every state in the U.S. can expect the number of citizens 65 and over with Alzheimer’s disease to increase by 12 percent.

Many people needing eldercare services will have financial as well as physical needs.

About 9.3 percent will live below Susan McDonough the poverty line, McDonough said.

Consumer expectations are growing, as well, she said. As Americans enter advanced old age, they want both quality of life and quality of care. “They want to have control over the settings they live in.

They want to have choice,” she said.

Roughly 80 percent of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior living providers are faith-based, McDonough said. Catholic health providers have the third-largest number of senior living units among multisite, not-for-profits, she added, “so we are a big portion of the marketplace in the United States.”

But she added that among the 75 Catholic-sponsored facilities that changed owners or sponsors during the last 10 years, just 20 percent affiliated with another notfor-profit and just 8 percent affiliated with another Catholic organization.

Sixty-five percent were sold to a forprofit organization, and the remaining 15 percent closed.

John Capasso, executive vice president of continuing care at Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, said 84 percent of U.S. nursing home beds are occupied, which is “an all-time low.” In comparison, short stay beds for rehabilitation for Medicaid and/or Medicare patients have an occupancy rate of about 90 percent. Capasso, one of the panelists during the session, said he does not expect nursing home occupancy rates to go back up to what they once were.

Meantime, in a full-employment economy, senior health facilities face an increasingly competitive market for workers. McDonough said health care and the social assistance employment sector, including senior living, is “at the top of the list in terms of sectors that are trying to Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By KEN LEISER

recruit people and they’re not finding the folks out there.”

Sr. Nancy Surma, OSF, is vice president of mission integration with CHI Living Communities, a business line of Catholic Health Initiatives providing residential care to more than 2,500 people in Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Wisconsin. It is part of CommonSpirit Health. During the panel discussion, she stressed that those who operate eldercare facilities can’t lose sight of the need to hire “the right people” to carry their mission into the future.

Still, it is a challenge to compete for good people given that nurse aide jobs are physically demanding, and facilities may be hard pressed to pay wages that exceed the pay offered in “much easier” jobs such as being a grocery store clerk.

In addition, Catholic systems can be challenged to help administrators who arrive from for-profit systems understand “at a deeper level” the mission of the Catholic eldercare ministries, she said. “When we have to start at square one about what mission is at a Catholic institution, it takes a lot of work.”

Catholic systems have to be more agile, said panelist Rita Turley, a member of the Leaven Ministries, the public juridic person for SCL Health. She is a health care consultant. Historically, faith-based systems have tended to be risk-averse and slow to change. “The bottom line is going to drive us to change,” she said. “We need to start to identify that strategy for our future.

It has to be different. Much different.”

ASSEMBLY 2019

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

5

ACHIEVEMENT CITATION

Relationships, trust-building bring homeless people into health care, permanent housing Trinity Health systems take care to the streets

By KIM VAN OOSTEN Photos by CHRIS RYAN/© CHA

“Is anyone home? It’s Mount Carmel,” call out two outreach workers from Mount Carmel Health System, as they walk through a syringe-ridden footpath to a hidden tent encampment near Columbus, Ohio. Their backpacks are stocked with medicines, bandages, toiletries, clothing and even some bus passes.

In Atlanta, another street medicine team — this one from the Mercy Care network of primary care clinics — is reaching out to men and women living on the city’s sidewalks, in doorways and in underpasses — people who may be invisible to most Atlantans.

Both street medicine programs provide people who are homeless with health care access as well as with assistance getting into permanent housing, signing up for veter- Street medicine team members Steve Roth, center, and Dr. John O’Handley visit a homeless encampment near Columbus, Ohio. Roth is a medical technician, ans’ benefits and finding a job. For that work and O’Handley is medical director of community health and well-being for Mount Carmel Health System. in Columbus and Atlanta, Trinity Health is the 2019 recipient of CHA’s Achievement about nine sites near soup kitchens, drop- traditional health care system.

In 2018, Mercy Care’s street medicine Citation, the association’s recognition for in centers, churches and in areas where “We are the last, the lowest and I think program had nearly 3,500 encounters with a program that best exemplifies the Catho- homeless people can be found. the most significant safety net for so many unsheltered people, and provided 680 prilic health ministry’s commitment to Jesus’ Mount Carmel’s street medicine pro- different people,” Pierson said. “We see mary care visits, 428 psychiatric visits and compassion and healing. gram employs 22 people. Smaller teams — people that don’t have anywhere else to 66 treatments by a nurse.

“The beauty of street medicine is that usually a physician or nurse practitioner, a turn and we hang with them long term. We it takes health care to where it is needed medical technician or nurse, and a patient are committed to them, and they are com- Patience is paramount the most,” said Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, advocate — make regular visits to encamp- mitted to us.”

Like their peers in Columbus, the Atlanta senior vice president of safety net trans- ments and areas with a higher density of crew takes time building relationships with formation, community benefit, health and unhoused people. The clinicians provide Mercy Care’s fleet patients who are on society’s margins. well-being for Trinity Health of Livonia, medical attention and work to build relaAtlanta is home to more than 3,000 “I actually looked at all the data and for Mich. unsheltered people, the types of clients that we are focusing on, Trinity’s street med– according to a 2018 point- it takes about 15 engagements to get a pericine programs in in-time count. Mercy Care son to agree to start working with you,” said Columbus, Atlanta and has six brick-and-mortar Joy Fernandez De Narayan, street medicine Pittsburgh (which won clinics and four mobile manager at Mercy Care. the Achievement Citasites that provide inte“Let’s say I see you once a week, ‘Hey, tion in 1994), provide grated primary care and do you want to see me today?’ I ask and the urgent health services behavioral health services person says, ‘no,’ so I say, ‘here’s a snack bag, such as wound dressing for people who are home- can I come back and see you next week?’ to the unsheltered. Staff less and uninsured. Mercy We can do that 15 weeks in a row for them are patient but goalCare has a fleet of vehicles to finally be like, ‘OK, what do you have to oriented as they open including a large coach offer?’” explained De Narayan. pathways to more conwith two exam rooms, vans, Then, De Narayan said, the team can ventional health care shuttles and cars that are start the process of trying to get the person and housing for folks used for patient care and connected to social services, with the ultiwho have lived on the social services. The street mate goal of securing permanent housstreets for months or medicine team delivers ing. Social supports continue after a client years. integrated primary and moves into permanent housing because the Both street medicine behavioral health care transition from the street to an apartment programs can provide to the homeless on the can be unsettling. access to primary care A street medicine team clinician from Mount Carmel Health System cares for a patient at a streets, under bridges and and specialty medical temporary clinic for people who are homeless. in encampments.

Lonely move care including mental The mobile clinics make Mathew Reed, a Mercy Care case manhealth services, dental care, vision care and tionships so that, over time, patients may regular stops at churches, shelters and ager in the street medicine program, said social services. consider going to the mobile clinic or acting other locations. The team staffing the medi- newly housed individuals may feel so isoBefore they can do that though, staff on the team’s referrals to fixed-base medi- cal coach includes a nurse practitioner, a lated that they seek the company of their must build trust with individuals who have cal and social service providers. case manager, a licensed practical nurse, old neighbors in a homeless encampment. little reason to think the system will work for Medical technician Steve Roth has been a psychiatrist, and Ultimately, some them, said Hammami. a part of Mount Carmel’s street medicine volunteer medical individuals may “Once we build that trust and they know team for 20-plus years. He said people living providers including give up their newthat our only goal is to help them, then on the streets seek out the clinicians making medical students. found housing and (we work to) establish a medical home to their rounds and point them to others who Mercy Care’s street return to the streets. address their needs and look out for their need care. “They say, ‘Hey, this person’s medicine team in– To assist with best interest.” over behind here. This person’s in this alley. cludes a mix of paid the transition from This person’s underneath this bridge’ … staff and clinician street to apartment, Medicine on the go and then we go find them.” volunteers. These the street medicine In Columbus, there are more than 1,800 The Mount Carmel street medicine pro- teams go out on team makes “housunsheltered people, according to a 2018 gram had more than 6,000 encounters last weekdays and nights ing rounds,” checkpoint-in-time count. The Mount Carmel year, of which 2,500 were unduplicated to reach people who ing in on clients in Outreach program work targeting this patients. This count includes patients of are unwilling to their new apartpopulation includes the street outreach both the on-foot and mobile coach teams. go to one of Mercy ments, reinforcing program and a mobile clinic, which is Adults of all ages access the services, but Care’s mobile clin- A client of the Mercy Care street medicine team in the power of that equipped with two exam rooms. most of the patients are in their 30s, 40s or ics or fixed locations Atlanta. relationship and The mobile clinic functions as an urgent 50s. Most are eligible for Medicaid cover- in Atlanta, said Tom letting clients know care center of sorts. The clinicians provide age, though some do not wish to identify Andrews, chief executive of Saint Joseph’s that someone does care. health assessments and screenings, and themselves to the government, according to Health System, parent company to Mercy For individuals helped by the program, they treat acute and chronic illness and information from Mount Carmel.

Care. the impact is life changing. Reed said, “A lot mental conditions. Staffed by eight to 10 Brian Pierson, regional director for Mercy Care collaborates and coordi- of folks will say, ‘You guys gave me hope … professionals, including nurses, medical Community Health and Well-being at nates with Atlanta’s Grady Health System, you just saw me and you sat with me.’” technicians, caseworkers and patient reg- Mount Carmel, said the street medicine as well as social services case management istration workers, the clinic travels a regu- program has become a de facto medical organizations that guide people to perma- kvanoosten@chausa.org lar weekly or biweekly circuit, returning to home for some individuals who distrust the nent housing placement.

6

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

ASSEMBLY 2019 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Car ride leads to lifetime of service in canon law for Fr. Morrisey It was a providential car ride from Ottawa to Montreal that put Fr. Francis G. Morrisey, OMI, on the road to a long and illustrious career in canon law.

In March 1965, Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger of Montreal — in anticipation of the final sessions of the Second Vatican Council — called all canon lawyers in Canada for a study day and invited canon law students in the country to come along.

Fr. Morrisey, then a student at the University of Ottawa, drove three of his professors to the gathering. During the ride and at the study day, conversation turned to the idea of establishing the Canadian Canon Law Society. Fr. Morrisey ended up on a four-man steering committee charged with setting up the organization, eventually becoming its first secretary-treasurer.

“I didn’t even have my degree yet!” he said. “I had no idea what I was getting into.”

That car ride also turned out to be opportune for Catholic health care. Fr. Morrisey, now 83, became an expert in how church law affected hospital finances. Through the years he has offered legal guidance on the emergence of nontraditional business models and lent his considerable expertise to religious communities who sought to preserve their sponsored works through transfer to a public juridic person.

In recognition of his generous use of that expertise on behalf of health care professionals in the U.S., Canada and the world, Fr. Morrisey is the recipient of CHA’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award was presented June 10 at the Catholic Health Assembly in Dallas.

In addition to his work as a canon law professor (now emeritus) at Saint Paul’s

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

Fr. Francis G. Morrisey, OMI

law. One might think that would be a difficult thing to sit through,” Sr. Trstensky said, “but he absolutely mesmerizes the room. He makes (canon law) live in such a reasonable way by giving examples. He makes it interesting because he is talking about our lives.”

Wisdom figure Sr. Peggy Ann Martin, OP, is executive

Fr. Morrisey teaching in the early 1980s.

University in Ottawa, a Vatican consultant and an international lecturer, Fr. Morrisey has served as the general editor of a series of columns on canon law in CHA’s journal, Health Progress. He has taught the canon law component of the CHA Sponsor Formation Program that helps prepare leaders for sponsorship roles.

“Church law can be pretty dry,” said Sr. Jomary Trstensky, OSF, chairperson of Hospital Sisters Ministries in Springfield, Ill., the public juridic person of Hospital Sisters Health System. Sr. Trstensky has served with Fr. Morrisey on the CHA sponsorship and canon law committee for the past decade.

When Fr. Morrisey addresses participants in the sponsor formation program, “he speaks for a whole afternoon on canon

vice president of sponsorship and governance for CommonSpirit Health, the company that resulted from the merger of Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives early this year. She first encountered Fr. Morrisey in the classroom beginning in 1998 and said it was his reputation that drew her to Saint Paul’s University for canon law studies.

“He is a major, major wisdom figure, a wise, wise person,” said Sr. Martin.

The main message Fr. Morrisey said he tries to communicate in the classroom is that canon lawyers should “use the law to free people, not to put a burden on their shoulders.

“I often say, ‘If someone asks can we do something, and the law says no, try to find another way, give them some positive

insights,” he added. “That has been my mantra.”

In nominating Fr. Morrisey for the Lifetime Achievement Award, Sr. Trstensky wrote that Fr. Morrisey’s work has been foundational to changes in sponsorship models and business structures within Catholic health care. Although his focus is on canon law, he regularly made parallels between church law and social justice and the call to advance the dignity of the human person. Sr. Trstensky said, “He not only wrote and spoke of these matters, he called canonical sponsors and board members to make sure that policies and procedures reflect a commitment to these values, particularly when forming partnerships.”

Keeping it real Sr. Martin said Fr. Morrisey brought canon law alive in his classroom by exploring real-world dilemmas. “He’d say, ‘Today on my fax machine I was asked this question. How would you answer that?’”

Fr. Morrisey said his goal was to demonstrate to students how canonical principles apply in everyday life situations.

“Some canonists refer to canon law as a toolbox; the tools have to be applied to a situation for it to be addressed,” he said.

Beyond the classroom, he’s tried to help ordinary Catholics understand the differences between canon law and moral theology. “Canon law is related to the ‘external forum’ — things that can be seen, measured and evaluated,” he explained.

“Moral theology is related much more to the ‘internal forum’ — the sphere of conscience. For instance, no canon in the Code would say that it is a sin to do such and such, or not do such and such. This is a judgement call where conscience intervenes. The church’s teaching provided guidance for a properly formed conscience, but it does not replace it. “ Fr. Morrisey thinks the biggest challenge facing Catholic health care today is how to preserve and defend Catholic identity at a time when “there is such public pressure against certain positions that the church is taking,” such as its opposition to assisted suicide and abortion.

“We can’t withdraw into a fortress,” he said. “The Catholic Church is the largest provider of health care in the world, by far,

and we don’t want to give up that heritage, which is based on Christ’s actions of healing the sick.”

Forward thinking Fr. Morrisey still teaches one course a year as an emeritus professor and finds it important to “keep up-to-date with new literature,” noting that canon law is “not just frozen in the past.”

He has played a role in many of the changes in canon law over the years, helping to prepare the 1983 Code of Canon Law and, more recently, serving on a Vatican commission charged with revising the sections of canon law related to procedures for the annulment of marriages.

During that stint as the only commission member not living full time in Rome, Fr. Morrisey “commuted” to the Vatican every 10 days in order to continue teaching at Saint Paul’s University.

Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and raised in Ottawa, Fr. Morrisey has traveled to 50 countries over the years and finds New Zealand to be one of his favorite spots. “I love the geography and the people,” he said.

Although he knew as a child that he wanted to become a priest, he joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate almost by happenstance. His mother wanted him to learn more French, but the nearby LaSalle Academy high school deemed his French not good enough to admit him. Instead he attended an Oblate school a couple of blocks away, learning about the religious order and eventually being ordained an Oblate priest in 1961.

Sr. Martin said the hallmark of Fr. Morrisey’s career has been that “he’s always challenging us to think ahead. What is the next step? But not giving any answers, which we’d like to have. He wanted us to be continually alert and aware of what could be next.”

Sr. Trstensky describes the Canadian canon lawyer as “a pathfinder” in Catholic health care. “His role was to look at the arrangements we were proposing (for mergers or collaborative partnerships) and to help us see how they could be done in a way that aligned with church law.”

And as a teacher, she added, “now he’s prepared many others who can assist us.”

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

ASSEMBLY 2019

7

SISTER CONCILIA MORAN AWARD

Former child sex trafficking victim advances trauma-informed care for survivors

By RENEE STOVSKY

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

From outward appearances, Holly Austin Smith must have seemed like a typical 14-year-old girl in the summer of 1992. The youngest child from a small town, middleclass home in New Jersey, she was struggling with the transition from middle school to high school and having a hard time finding a group of friends with whom to hang out. But she was a good kid, certainly never in any trouble with the law.

Inside, though, Holly was fighting much bigger foes — trauma associated with past sexual abuse by a relative, a strained relationship with her parents and more. So, when she met an attractive man at a local shopping mall and they began talking by phone, she was vulnerable to his flattery.

Within weeks, he had convinced her to run away with him to start a glamorous new life in California.

What happened next was anything but glamorous. He bought her new clothes, took her to a motel and dyed her hair. Holly thought they were going to an Atlantic City, N.J., dance club until the moment he gave her a new name, a new birth date, and a new set of rules to live by — including how much money she needed to make per hour. Only then did she understand the situation she had been coerced into.

Thankfully, she was arrested just two nights after she was trafficked. “The officer was in a position to help me, but until he discovered I had been listed by my family as a missing person, he treated me as someone that no longer belonged in regular society,” she says.

Now 41 and happily married, Holly Austin Gibbs has devoted herself to helping other human trafficking survivors, most recently as Dignity Health’s Human Trafficking Response program director. For her leadership and breakthrough work improving the care of victims, she accepted CHA’s 2019 Sister Concilia Moran Award at the Catholic Health Assembly in Dallas.

“Holly is a very compassionate and passionate person, the epitome of someone who had something tragic happen in life and then turned it around and made some-

“I want the health care industry to think differently about the needs of people who have suffered trauma. (Trauma victims) are typically not open to answering questions about abuse, violence and neglect. They feel stigmatized by past experiences with police and medical providers and may fear retaliation by their abusers,” she says. “We need to prioritize safety, trust and open communication. And when they are ready to disclose their situation, we need to be able to refer them to local community resources to provide care on an ongoing basis.”

Holly Austin Gibbs, center, is the 2019 recipient of CHA’s Sister Concilia Moran Award for her work to advance trauma-informed care for survivors of human trafficking. Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, left, president and chief executive officer of CHA, and Kevin Sexton, chair of the CHA Board of Trustees, present the award at the Catholic Health Assembly.

thing good of it for the betterment of others,” says Elizabeth I. Keith, executive vice president of mission integration at CommonSpirit Health, the entity formed when Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives merged on Jan. 31.

Harrowing road Gibbs’ recovery was long and difficult.

She says her experiences with law enforcement and health care were equally traumatizing, including an interrogation at the police station and a medical examination at a hospital emergency room. “I did not feel like a priority there; the agenda of the staff — the OB/GYN, the psychiatrist and the social services personnel — was to check

Gibbs, center, was among those raising awareness of human trafficking in a Washington, D.C., march in 2012.

all the boxes and release me to my parents, who were equally traumatized,” she says.

Her unresolved emotional distress over the trauma led to a suicide attempt, followed by a stay in a mental health facility. Eventually, she returned to school, attended prom, graduated and enrolled in Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (now Stockton University). She excelled academically there, earning an undergraduate biology degree in 2000, and then worked in the environmental microbiology field for several years.

It wasn’t until she was 31 and living in Virginia, though, that she actually realized what had happened to her. By happenstance, she turned on her TV and saw a documentary about sex trafficking in India.

“I never thought of myself as a victim of crime before; I just thought I had gotten into a bad situation through my own fault,” she recalls. “I suffered from depression and low self-esteem for years.”

Breaking trauma’s bonds Shortly thereafter, she contacted Courtney’s House, a Washington, D.C., program for trafficking victims, and met another survivor there. It was a “life-changing” encounter, she says — the moment she really began to recover.

Soon she began consulting for organizations like AMBER Alert and traveling around the country to share her story. In 2014, she published a book, Walking Prey: How America’s Youth Are Vulnerable to Sex Slavery. She switched careers in order to focus on the health care aspect of human trafficking, joining Dignity Health in 2015.

She moved to Sacramento, Calif., to oversee a program that had been launched there just a year earlier.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act — the first comprehensive federal law to address trafficking through prevention, protection and prosecution — was passed in 2000. Many programs were already in place to raise awareness of the problem and educate everyone from law enforcement to hotel and transportation personnel and emergency room providers on how to identify possible victims. What Gibbs wanted to do was go beyond hospital screening tools to connect patients with appropriate resources.

Victim-centered care At Dignity Health, Gibbs has led the development of several innovative health care models for victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches to caring for patients ensnared in labor or sex trafficking.

Among them: The Human Trafficking Response Program, which includes instruction for caregivers in how to approach and care for victims of human trafficking in the health care setting. The program, which Dignity Health shares as an open access document online, has been implemented at all of Dignity Health’s hospitals across California, Arizona and Nevada.

The PEARR (Provide privacy, Educate, Ask, Respect and Respond) Tool, which was launched in 2018 in conjunction with HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, Linkage) Trafficking and Pacific Survivor Center to help social workers, nurses and other professionals provide assistance in a traumainformed manner.

A series of web-based education sessions produced in conjunction with the American Hospital Association’s Hospitals against Violence initiative in 2018.

Safe haven Gibbs has worked closely with Dr. Ron Chambers, program director for Dignity Health’s family medicine residency program, in the creation of Sacramento’s Medical Safe Haven, which provides follow-up care for trafficking victims identified in the hospital as well as through law enforcement and community agencies.

“We provide medical care — including primary, prenatal, OB/GYN care and psychological services — for patients in order to stabilize them as well as follow up on an ongoing basis,” says Chambers. “We also work with various agencies to secure safe housing and implement education plans.

We aim to be a one-stop shop for all victims’ needs so that we can reduce the high rate of recidivism that occurs with trauma bonding.”

Chambers says he was inspired to found Medical Safe Haven after hearing Gibbs speak at a physician leadership conference in 2015, and has relied heavily on her expertise to develop care.

“Holly is an incredible teacher, role model and mentor to me,” he says. “There are no textbooks or firm guidelines on how to handle these kinds of patient encounters, so I rely on her compassion and thoughtfulness in assessing each individual’s situation and needs. She is the driving force behind everything we do.”

That’s a sentiment that is shared by Petra Linden, director of International Health and Human Trafficking for Dignity Health.

“Her heart is in creating a movement to bring help to victims,” she said.

Gibbs says, “As a Catholic health ministry, we are here to serve the most vulnerable populations. Trafficking survivors have suffered trauma and been abandoned by society. We need to continue to strive to improve services for them.”

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

ASSEMBLY 2019 TOMORROW’S LEADERS

CHA recognizes contributions of young leaders in the ministry

By KATHLEEN NELSON

Photos by Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

Respect for those who came before, a passion for Catholic health care and an eye toward what it will take to keep the ministry thriving now and in the future: The 2019 class of Tomorrow’s Leaders share these traits. Each of the 11 have distinguished themselves as high-performing, adaptive thinkers who bring talent, commitment and fire to their work. (The recipients were all age 40 or younger at the time of their nominations for this recognition.) Here is a look at the individuals honored at the Catholic Health Assembly in Dallas.

Jenna K. Floberg and her cheering squad celebrate her recognition as a Tomorrow’s Leader.

Dr. W. Carson Felkel II

Lead physician, behavioral health program, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Greenville, S.C.

Tiffany Capeles

Director, health equity, CHRISTUS Health, Irving, Texas

The daughter of Spanish-speaking Caribbean parents, Tiffany Capeles witnessed her family struggle in navigating health care in the U.S. “I watched my parents manage through everything life threw their way, but health care was this undefeatable, complex labyrinth,” says Capeles, 34.

“They didn’t know where to go or who to go to. From access to cost, to obtaining quality care, health care was an oppressor for my family. When I learned there were other families like us, I embarked on a career to be a voice for the voiceless.”

Joining CHRISTUS Health in 2016, Capeles spearheaded the standardization of language access services impacting more than 30,000 patients. She implemented the Qualified Bilingual Staff initiative, a two-day program that has trained more than 400 staff members who speak a second language to interpret for providers and patients. Capeles also was instrumental in organizing unconscious bias training for 1,800 managers who have direct reports.

“She is tenacious and never gives up working to benefit those in need,” says Marcos Pesquera, system vice president of community benefit, health equity, diversity and inclusion. “She reaches out to all people, creating a picture of what success looks like that inspires commitment and a vision that all can fight for.”

Capeles also helped institute a pilot program for emergency room patients diagnosed with primary hypertension. With a goal to help address barriers preventing patients from achieving optimal health outcomes, a nurse or community health worker follows patients up to six months.

Of the 8,000 eligible patients, nearly 70 percent received the care recommended.

CHRISTUS is considering expanding the program to include other chronic conditions.

“At CHRISTUS, achieving health equity, diversity and inclusion is not an HR directive, it is a mission imperative,” she says.

Dr. W. Carson Felkel II has faced a daunting task in directing behavioral health for Bon Secours in South Carolina — the state ranks 50th for access to behavioral health care services. Under Felkel, Bon Secours meets patients where they are to begin to assess and address their mental health needs: in the primary care setting, in specialists’ offices, on the streets or in shelters.

it our goal to screen patients for depression at every entry point,” he says, including such specialized departments as neurology, pulmonology and endocrinology, “to get (patients) back to their primary care provider to treat behavioral health issues as well.”

Felkel helped form a partnership with Jasmine Road, a residential treatment center for survivors of human trafficking. Bon Secours provides trauma-informed physical and behavioral health care at no cost to the program’s participants.

“With his personal faith and engaging personality, Dr. Felkel has helped Bon Secours fully embrace those who are truly marginalized,” says Alex Garvey, senior vice president of mission for Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.

Floberg, 30, also directed the facilities through upgrading their electronic medical records system. She leads the effort to standardize practices for three of Agnesian’s long-term care facilities, including Villa Loretto and Villa Rosa, in such areas as emergency preparedness, safety/ environment of care and supply chain management.

Under her management, Villa Loretto’s occupancy in 2018 reached an average of 90.8 percent, 5 percent over its goal The average score for willingness to recommend the facility to others in 2018 was 100 percent, compared to a goal of 90 percent.

“The values that I grew up with align with Catholic health care,” Floberg says.

“Our work is more than just work. You can feel the mission in action working here. You can feel the culture. You can feel the deeper meaning.”

Floberg also has assumed the unofficial role of coach and mentor, says Steven N. Little, former chief operating officer of SSM Health Wisconsin Region. He was president and chief executive of Agnesian when it merged with SSM Health in January of 2018.

“This was especially apparent during our integration with SSM Health,” he says. “Her positivity and her ability to encourage other leaders made it easier for many to move forward with courage, trust and faith.”

Jenna K. Floberg

Executive director, Villa Loretto Nursing Home and Villa Rosa Assisted Living, Mt. Calvary, Wis., a member of SSM Health

“I like the ability to affect change through working with our mission leaders to deliver integrated physical and mental health services into the community, not just have patients come to us,” says Felkel, 35.

Among the solutions he oversees is a collaborative care model that embeds behavioral health social workers into the primary care setting. Primary care providers screen for depression, then immediately connect patients in need of help with an integrated care manager in their primary care office who can provide brief therapeutic interventions. Felkel and the social workers work in consultation with a psychiatrist. In the Greenville market, 32 percent of patients identified through these primary care screenings were in remission from depression a year later, Felkel says. This compares with a national average remission rate of 6 percent.

Felkel guides another program in which a community nurse practitioner is embedded in clinic and community settings to screen for and treat depression. “We made

Losing her father at an early age to cancer led to a special bond between Jenna Floberg and her grandfather. From that relationship, she developed an appreciation for the gifts and vulnerabilities of the elderly.

Since graduating from college, Floberg has worked with Agnesian HealthCare, now part of SSM Health, to improve the quality of life for the residents of Villa Loretto Nursing Home and Villa Rosa Assisted Living.

She obtained grants to purchase TVs for all residents and to build a fence around a garden so dementia patients can safely enjoy the outdoors.

Sunny Lay

Director of nursing operations, St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor, Wash.; CHI Franciscan Health/CommonSpirit Health

Sunny Lay found her calling as she watched her grandmother sort through the difficult decision of placing her grandfather in a nursing home. Her grandmother relied on the counsel of the nursing staff where he was a patient.

“I remember how the nurse comforted my grandmother,” says Lay, 40. “The compassion she provided our family was something I will never forget.”

Since Lay moved into her current role in March 2017, St. Anthony has earned “A” safety grades from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report. “Sunny has created a culture at St. Anthony that emphasizes treating the whole person — mind, body and spirit,” says Mary Alice Ragsdale, vice president and chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at St. Anthony.

After learning that nurses were missing breaks, Lay started the Break Nurse Program. More than 90 percent of nurses consistently get their meal and rest breaks, an increase from 30 percent. She has reduced registered nurse turnover to 11 percent from 15 percent overall.

ASSEMBLY 2019

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

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TOMORROW’S LEADERS “While I do miss directly caring for patients, I realized I am caring for the people who are caring for the people,” she says of her decision to move into nurse administration. “I am beyond proud in the way staff communicate and exemplify our values with each other as well as the quality care they provide for our patients.”

Lay led the team that captured the national nursing Pathway to Excellence Program recognition for St. Anthony. It is the only hospital within CHI Franciscan to receive this designation and one of only two in the state.

“It was the core team that really led the way,” she says. “They were so dedicated to this work that it inspired me as a leader.”

ment of the health needs of women and children in our community,” says Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel, prelate of the Diocese of Lafayette.

Though he has spent the majority of his career at for-profit hospitals, Lee started in college as an operating room assistant in a faith-based health system.

“I watched families experience such vulnerable moments and come through stronger. It provided a great sense of purpose in the work,” says Lee, 40. “From there, I developed a passion to make a difference for these families and felt driven to pursue a career in health care administration.”

Lee gets in the trenches by rounding at clinics and occasionally volunteers at St. Joseph Diner, a soup kitchen that serves some of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients.

“It isn’t just about making a difference for the patients or our community,” Lee says. “Servant leadership is an act of service to God. My desire to be a servant leader firmly connects me to Catholic health care.”

intranet redesign, decreasing storage and lowering costs while improving search accuracy. She also launched an internal video communication system that features uplifting stories shared by associates.

“Abby is able to take complicated issues and make them relevant for a variety of audiences, and she does it with humor and thoughtful insight,” says Ernie W. Sadau, president and chief executive of CHRISTUS Health.

She directed the operational and marketing strategy for health insurance exchange enrollment that led to more than 200,000 patients signing up in a threeyear span. And as CHRISTUS Health has expanded internationally, McNeil directed merger and acquisition communications.

“There’s always some new challenge or media inquiry or hurdle to overcome,” she says. “There are plenty of problems to solve, and I feel most useful when I’m helping solve problems.”

ensure AMITA Health makes the most of its resources in public health to maximize outcomes.

“I find that the mission of Catholic health care to serve those with the greatest needs matches well with my beliefs,” she says. “The sisters served people who were not represented at the table and provided creative solutions for their needs. Catholic health care has been instrumental in leading the way, and I’m honored to continue their mission.”

Abby Lowe McNeil

Vice president, communications and public affairs, CHRISTUS Health, Irving, Texas

Bryan Lee

President and chief executive officer, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Lafayette, La., a member of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Just as doctors are called to be stewards of healing and administrators are called to steward financial resources, Abby Lowe McNeil feels called to protect and enhance CHRISTUS Health’s reputation and name.

“I thought I’d end up using my gifts in a windowless back room somewhere, typing out press releases, but the reality of my work with CHRISTUS has been so much bigger,” says McNeil, 37. “I get to come to work every day and make a difference by supporting our ministries and associates.”

McNeil led CHRISTUS Health’s first

In his first two years at the helm of Our Lady of Lourdes, Bryan Lee has brought a rigor to operations that has helped the medical center solidify its financial footing and has built bridges to help the underserved throughout southwest Louisiana.

He reached out to one of the region’s other large health care providers to collaborate on a community health needs assessment, then guided the system through the purchase of Women’s & Children’s Hospital from HCA Healthcare. He kept officials from the Diocese of Lafayette closely apprised during the acquisition, merged the hospitals’ boards, treated the medical staffs as one and hosted town hall meetings to welcome staff to the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.

“At every step of the way, Bryan has solicited my input and honored my concerns for the compassionate and ethical treat-

Members of the 2019 Tomorrow’s Leaders cohort attend a pre-assembly seminar with senior leaders of Catholic health care. Shown from left are Scott O’Brien, Sara Vaezy and Bryan Lee.

Scott O’Brien

Chief operating officer, Washington and Montana region, Providence St. Joseph Health, Spokane, Wash.

Cody McSellers-McCray

Regional director, community health, AMITA Health, Chicago, a member of Ascension

A college trip to Kenya and Tanzania brought Cody McSellers-McCray’s ultimate career path into focus. “The things that I saw there were happening here, too,” she says, which led her to earn a master’s degree in public health and work with nonprofits and public health organizations in and around Chicago.

McSellers-McCray, 39, joined Ascension’s AMITA Health in 2017 “for my dream job. I get to work directly with people and communities, who are experiencing problems that appear to have no solution. I get to provide innovative solutions, through programs, partnerships or policies we forge to help change their lives.”

Among her innovations is a partnership with the Chicago Public Library system.

Public libraries welcome everyone regardless of race, gender, income or immigration status. McSellers-McCray helped secure funding for a program that allowed AMITA Health to train and certify more than 400 library staff members in mental health first aid. She then convinced AMITA Health officials to fund social workers on-site at the libraries to help patrons with mental health issues, and individuals dealing with homelessness or social isolation. The social workers connect clients to essential social and health services.

“Her vision for the library social worker program exemplifies the collaborative approach to social determinants of health that is at the core of our community health needs assessment,” says Elissa J. Bassler, chief executive of the Illinois Public Health Institute.

McSellers-McCray also led the development of an impact evaluation process to

Scott O’Brien has seen the big picture in health care since his first high school job as a patient escort at a Providence Health & Services hospital, a predecessor to Providence St. Joseph Health.

“I was able to see all different parts of the hospital, interact with patients and their family members, and gain an understanding of health care from the perspective of the patient. It grabbed ahold of me then, and continues to inform my work today,” says O’Brien, 39. “I was introduced to our mission and committed to learning more about the many ways we live our mission and serve our patients.”

First as chief strategy officer for Providence St. Joseph Health in eastern Washington and now as chief operating officer for its Washington and Montana region, O’Brien has integrated his devotion to the mission with his attention to the bottom line. He helped negotiate a partnership between Kootenai Health and Providence St. Joseph Health that allows each to continue operating independently but better serve residents of eastern Washington and north Idaho. He also oversaw the growth of Providence Medical Group, the physician services group serving eastern Washington, from 40 providers to more than 500 in four years, as well as the development of a telehealth network that serves 19 rural sites in two states.

O’Brien helped create a joint venture behavioral health hospital that doubled the community’s inpatient capacity, providing much-needed access to mental health services.

“The impact we have in all the communities we serve every day is fulfilling and rewarding,” he says, “especially the impact we have on the needs of the poor and vulnerable.”

Elaine Couture, executive vice president of Providence St. Joseph Health and chief executive of the Washington and Montana region, says “I am impressed by Scott’s intelligence, his keen strategic thinking and understanding of the imperatives in health care today, but most of all by his passion for the mission.”

Continued on 10

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ASSEMBLY 2019 TOMORROW’S LEADERS by example, participating in health and wellness events. This summer, he plans to ride the Triple Bypass 2019, a 120-mile bicycle race, alongside a St. Anthony Hospital trauma survivor.

“You can always count on Peter to deliver results in a manner consistent with our mission and core values,” says Peter D. Banko, president and chief executive of Centura Health. “He is personally on a mission to build whole person care and flourishing communities in Colorado and western Kansas.”

Sara Vaezy

Chief digital strategy officer, Providence St. Joseph Health, Renton, Wash.

Peter Powers

Chief executive officer, St. Anthony Hospital, Lakewood, Colo., a member of Centura Health/CommonSpirit Health

His father was a surgeon; his mother was a nurse. “So health care was the family business,” says Peter Powers, 40. “I’d spend weekends going on rounds with my dad. It exposed me to the whole world of health care, and I could see the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a caregiver.”

Powers’ respect for caregivers manifests itself in his approach to engaging staff.

Rather than host large presentations, Powers organizes discussion circles at nursing stations or in the facility’s departments.

“I like to go to people’s own turf and hold a conversation. They’re more comfortable and open than they are at a dog-and-pony PowerPoint,” he says. “I think we get more in-depth. We talk about things that matter.”

Powers also involves staff in thinking big.

He organized a physician leadership and team member council to refresh the hospital’s 2025 strategic plan. “We’ll present fairly significant decisions we’re wrestling with and get their input,” he says. “We’re also trying to use them to spread the word or explain the why.”

He has championed Centura’s integrative medicine initiative, which incorporates osteopathic treatments including massage, acupuncture and meditation. And he leads

Repairing the church

To provide the best online experience for patients, Sara Vaezy thinks like a consumer.

She and the digital innovation group look to other industries like e-commerce and travel and platforms like FaceTime for inspiration to make the experiences familiar and easy.

For example, the digital innovation group developed a digital platform augmented by artificial intelligence to allow for same-day care for patients with low-acuity medical issues.

“If I woke up with a rash or what I thought was strep throat, where do I go?” says Vaezy,

the revelations of the last year have struck hard on what was already a growing sense of distrust over several generations of From page 1 Catholics. Shame over numerous scanseven decades in that city; and the recent dals and so many more victims is comspotlight on the scandal-ridden diocese pounded by the lack of transparency, he of Wheeling, W.Va. Daniels asked the pan- said. Bishop McKnight said that the role elists to address the twin crises of sexual of the laity has been emphasized since the abuse by clergy and the failures of leader- second Vatican Council, but that a spirit ship in the church. of clericalism puts constant obstacles into Fr. Hehir said the first priority is to the realization of the laity’s vital particiacknowledge the pation at higher levels Fr. Hehir pointed out grievous sins against within the church. children who must Sr. Carol reiterated that the damage has be believed, prothe priority is to the tected and supported victims of abuse and not only been a painful in recovery as much doing whatever needs loss for the community as possible. The secto be done to believe, ond priority, he said, respect and help heal of the faithful, but also should be to attend those who have been to the multidimento secular society, which grievously harmed. sional damage to the She spared no words church and the loss of now holds a presumptive in calling each incitrust in its leadership. of sexual abuse of suspicion of the church dent Fr. Hehir pointed out minors a crime, a sin that the damage has and no longer views it as a and a pastoral failure. been a painful loss not That sin occurs among only for the commu- credible bridge in secular flawed humans is not a nity of the faithful, but surprise, but the level situations. also to secular society, of cover-ups is less which now holds a presumptive suspicion explicable, she said, unless the church’s of the church and no longer views it as a image of itself is so righteous and so credible bridge in secular situations. holy that it can’t admit to failure and Bishop McKnight acknowledged that repent.

36. “We have the ability to schedule an online appointment at a physical retail clinic or urgent care, conduct a video visit or summon a provider to your home — all integrated into one offering on the web or a mobile app. We help patients and customers decide what’s best for them.”

The digital innovation group also focuses on third-party digital platforms that engage patients in activities that improve their health between episodes of care. One of them is Xealth, which providers use to get health content, products and services to patients without the need for an office visit.

Vaezy’s team also has worked with clinical leadership to test technology that provides a guided digital experience before and after surgery, and digital platforms for diagnosing, treating and managing depression in the primary care setting.

“We’re on the frontier, so there’s never a dull moment,” says Vaezy. “It’s really exciting to see how progressive the conversations in health care have gotten and how much we intersect with other industries.”

In the last two years, more than 90 health systems have visited Providence St. Joseph in Seattle to trade best practices in digital strategy.

“Sara is an exceptional blend of visionary strategist, compassionate leader and hands-on implementer,” says Aaron Martin, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Providence St. Joseph. “She is having a broader impact on the larger health care ecosystem.”

Heather Wall

Chief nursing officer, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, Springfield, Ore.

On the athletic fields and among her classmates, Heather Wall rose to leadership, whether as a student council officer or team captain. So, when she decided on a career in nursing, leadership seemed inevitable.

“I was born to be a nurse, and this job is the intersection of being a nurse and being a leader,” says Wall, 38. “Both are called to care and serve others.”

Wall’s commitment to care and service extends to both patients and her fellow

caregivers. Last August, she supported the organizing of an Honor Walk to celebrate organ donors and their families at the time of the donor’s death. The attending nurse reads a scroll with a message of appreciation, and caregivers stop their duties to line the hallways from the donor’s room to the operating room to silently acknowledge the family. The ceremony proved so moving that it has been repeated multiple times and PeaceHealth has decided to institute the Honor Walk system-wide.

Wall also advocated implementing “SelfCare for HealthCare,” a program that promotes work-life balance and aims to reduce caregiver burnout and reduce staff turnover. The program will be expanded throughout PeaceHealth.

“I have the daily struggle to keep up with kids and get them to T-ball or wherever they need to be,” says Wall, a mother of three.

“PeaceHealth has helped me, and we want to help our other caregivers balance their work and their family.”

Wall also has worked with her nurse teams to standardize processes that have improved safety and patient outcomes.

For example, she and her team developed emergency department strategies that reduced the percentage of patients leaving without being seen to 2 percent, from 7 percent.

Flawed humanity, even a flawed future abuse and repair the church. church, Sr. Carol argued, does not make a Bishop McKnight also expressed the flawed Gospel. We are called to believe in need to “get it all out once and for all.”

Jesus Christ not because the church is per- While he said it would take generations fect, or our ministers to really shift the culare perfect, she said, Flawed humanity, even a ture of clericalism, but because we will flawed church, Sr. Carol he believes there is find perfection only in a movement among him. argued, does not make a bishops to conduct Daniels challenged business differently, flawed Gospel. the panelists to talk to “not only consult about what could conwith the laity” but to stitute recovery and reform in light of the embed them in the important conversacrisis of leadership in the church. tions and work of the church at every level.

Fr. Hehir called for radical honesty. He The best form of evangelism for the modsaid that finding a way forward may be ern age, he said, is to act quickly and honcomplicated because the church in Rome estly according to the Gospel. and the American church do not view the Sr. Carol focused on the idea that issue from the same perspective. First, in church ministries could help lead the the U.S., the media and attorneys general healing. Health care especially has experiare moving forward with investigations ence with addressing suffering and caring into church malfeasance that will keep for those who are the victims of violence the public focused on the scandals. Sec- and abuse. As a church, honesty, humility ond, the level of education among Catho- and courage about a sin, a failure, a need lics is high and they insist on facts, truths to make right and a way to return to the and intelligent explanations. Third, the community are all needed to recover our democratic culture in the U.S. demands way and reform our actions, she said. Like accountability and expects action will be Fr. Hehir and Bishop McKnight, Sr. Carol taken much more quickly than the Vatican expressed strong faith in the leadership of is accustomed to. the laity in those endeavors.

Fr. Hehir said U.S. bishops must act decisively, involving credible laypersons masteiner@chausa.org who are not afraid to challenge clerical authority in devising how to prevent

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

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Speakers say Central Americans seeking asylum need hope, not prosecution

Desperation Welsh said there are conditions that have made those three countries almost unlivable for multitudes of impoverished citizens. Violent drug gangs prey on their own neighbors. Crime has skyrocketed.

The countries have corrupt and weak local

The panelists agreed that the border chaos violates rights of migrants, as many cannot make their lawful asylum claims and many are suffering in substandard conditions in holding facilities. Jones said, “Cattle and tomatoes get better treatment at the border crossing,” than do undocumented immigrants.

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

DALLAS — An unprecedented number of migrants are making the treacherous journey to the southern U.S. border from their homes in Central America, where they endure unrelenting violence and crushing poverty. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have survived the perilous trek this year alone only to be stopped at the U.S. border with Mexico.

The three presenters at a Catholic Health Assembly Innovation Forum session said there is a humanitarian crisis at the southern border that should be met with a caring response — but the U.S. is responding with heightened law enforcement and detention of adults and children. During the June 10 session, the three delved into some of the main drivers of the mass migration. They described ways the Catholic Church and its ministries interact with the economic refugees and asylum seekers and they made a call to action for the church’s ministries.

Church ministries “bring a moral voice to the issue,” said panelist Sr. Ann Scholz, SSND. “We as persons of faith have a responsibility to bring forward that every person carries the image of God within them and each has a right to dignity, respect, food, shelter” and other necessities needed to thrive.

Sr. Scholz, who is associate director of social mission for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, was joined on a panel by Rick Jones and Teresa Welsh.

Jones is a Catholic Relief Services youth and migration advisor stationed in San Salvador, El Salvador. Welsh is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist for the publication Devex. She has reported extensively on the crisis, filing stories from the Northern Triangle region of Central America, which includes Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Discussing the Central American migrant crisis at a Catholic Health Assembly session are, from left, Teresa Welsh; Sr. Ann Scholz, SSND, and Rick Jones. Welsh is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist for the publication Devex; Sr. Scholz is associate director of social mission for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Jones is a Catholic Relief Services youth and migration advisor stationed in San Salvador, El Salvador.

and national governments that are unable or unwilling to ensure even the most basic level of protection for citizens. Many law enforcement agents are known to contribute to the perils faced by innocent civilians, Jones said.

Sr. Scholz said that many years of drought and other natural disasters, as well as encroachment by agribusiness and tourism, have forced subsistence farmers off their land and stolen their livelihoods, leaving them with a critical need for work and food.

The panelists agreed that with very few jobs available in these countries and with gang culture running rampant, the situation is dire. People are desperate and lack hope, said Jones.

Going north Nevertheless, Jones said, many people in Central America do their best to remain in their hometowns. They sell off their belongings for cash. Families who lose their homes because they lack employment move in with relatives. It is only after they’ve exhausted all options, or when violence threatens their lives, or the lives of their

children, that many people will decide to head north, Jones said.

Sr. Scholz, Jones and Welsh said migrants are risking their lives to come to the U.S. to seek asylum — a right the panelists said is guaranteed in U.S. statutes, but one that is being summarily denied. The Northern Triangle countries, Mexico and the U.S. lack coherent policies to address the forces driving the migration and the human suffering. The patchwork of policies, protocols and approaches in effect in each country along the migratory route fall far short. The system is failing the migrants, the panelists agreed.

There has been ongoing maneuvering among the U.S., Mexico and the Central American countries, especially in recent years amid Donald Trump administration efforts to crack down on illegal immigration into the U.S. Recently, Trump had been threatening to implement tariffs on certain goods from Mexico to force Mexico to stem the tide of immigration through its country to the U.S. In early June, Trump announced via Twitter that the U.S. and Mexico had reached an agreement, and so the tariff threat would be suspended.

Ministry presence Hundreds of women religious are providing aid for people making the journey, and staffing respite centers along the southern border as well as in communities throughout the U.S. where migrants live after their release from U.S. custody.

Jones noted that much of the Catholic Church’s work and that of other nongovernmental organizations in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador is aimed at providing economic opportunities and practical help and hope to the poor and vulnerable in their home communities, so they do not have to leave.

But, Welsh said, the programs rely heavily on U.S. governmental funding and so when the administration pulls aid, it is “terrifying” to the nongovernmental groups. In mid-June the administration said it is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Ironically, she said, the affect could be to increase the number of desperate people at the southern border attempting to seek asylum in the U.S. That same week, multiple press outlets reported that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency plans a sweeping action to execute deportation orders pending against more than 2,000 people from Northern Triangle countries.

Sr. Scholz, Jones and Welsh called upon U.S. Catholic health and social service organizations to get educated about the crisis and advocate for U.S. legislation and policy that could improve the lot of the migrants.

Welsh said while the migration issue is an “extremely complicated” one, “it’s worth examining root causes and it’s worth knowing that some things are working.

“This is not insurmountable,” she said.

CHRISTUS details its diversity and inclusion initiatives DALLAS — The Catholic health ministry’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is rooted in its mission of providing compassionate care for all in need.

To that end, human resource professionals at Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health walked through that system’s ongoing efforts to recruit, retain and promote women and staff of varying ethnicities and cultural backgrounds to all levels of the organization during an hour-long breakout session at the Catholic Health Assembly.

The session was titled “Intentionality: The Impact of a Culture-Driven, Multifaceted Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.”

CHRISTUS Health’s footprint extends to four states — Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana — and three Latin American Countries: Mexico, Colombia and Chile.

Lisa Reynolds, vice president of talent management at CHRISTUS, said 25 percent of the organization’s executives and 45 percent of the system’s overall workforce are non-Caucasian. In addition, 45 percent of the health system’s executives are women.

CHRISTUS defines diversity as “all the ways in which people are different.”

“If you have a diverse and talented staff, you ensure that our patients receive full and equitable access to care, which allows them to lead a full and healthy life,” Reynolds told those in attendance. “What greater mission than that?”

Photos by Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

By KEN LEISER

Lisa Reynolds

Tiffany Capeles

Reynolds and Tiffany Capeles, CHRISTUS’ director of health equity, detailed several system initiatives to develop and retain a diverse workforce.

Among them: A two-year executive fellowship program that began in 2012 to prepare minority talent for executive roles. To be eligible, an employee must have been in the workforce at least seven years, including three years in health care management. Applicants must have a master’s degree. “It’s taking that somewhat seasoned middle manager and preparing them for their executive role,” Reynolds said. The current cohort of five fellows will complete the program in August.

Incentivizing executives to mentor minorities for leadership roles. The system set a “pay at risk” goal of having at least

20 percent of the senior team mentor a woman or minority associate in 2018. Each of seven ministries within CHRISTUS met or exceeded the goal that year. Three of the ministries have met the goal so far in 2019, Reynolds said. “We would still like to see it above (20 percent); we’ve got more work to do,” Reynolds said.

An effort to strengthen women’s leadership skills and visibility, and to seek opportunities to promote women in CHRISTUS’ Latin American partnerships.

Men occupy three-quarters of the combined executive positions in health systems co-owned by CHRISTUS in Mexico, Colombia and Chile.

Capeles said the commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to the governing board of the CHRISTUS parent organiza-

tion. When Ernie W. Sadau became president and chief executive in 2011, he looked at the ethnic and gender composition of the CHRISTUS board and said, “You know what? I think we can do better.” Rather than wait until the board terms ended, she said, CHRISTUS added more seats to the board and brought in members who added diversity.

“It’s about intentionality,” Capeles said.

“We were not willing to wait.”

At CHRISTUS, 35 percent of executives will reach retirement age within five years, which is a “big concern,” Reynolds said, because the ministry will need to have its pipeline ready. During the breakout session, Reynolds also reviewed the generational diversity among the ministry’s associate workforce. The largest group is Generation X, born between 1965 and 1979, at 38 percent, followed closely by the Generation Y group, born 1980 to 2000, at 37 percent.

Next year’s Catholic Health Assembly will be in Atlanta and will feature speakers and programming that will examine issues of racism, diversity and disparities both in society and in health care. The theme will be “All God’s Children.”

CHA’s Special Committee on Diversity and Health Disparities focuses on issues related to diversity of leadership and workforce, and on the effects of health disparities. CHA resources can be found at chausa. org/disparities.

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Mergers and acquisitions From page 1

CHA leadership transition From page 1

every Catholic health system and she warned of a very difficult time ahead for the ministry. She spoke of ongoing efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act that have resulted in several million people falling off the nation’s insurance rolls.

Medicaid and the 340B drug discount program likewise have been under challenge.

She spoke of the ministry’s “compelling creativity” in supporting a start-up company working to assure the availability and affordability of generic drugs and of ministry-led programs to meet the clinical and social needs of vulnerable patients in their communities.

Sr. Carol said the activity surrounding state-level abortion legislation, particularly the battle between the actors at the far ends of the two major political parties, could threaten hard-won conscience protections of health care providers.

However, these and other challenges should not leave the ministry disheartened, she said. “We need to take advantage of our strengths as individual community providers and as a major source of health care for our nation.”

She said, “Health care is our business, and the more we demonstrate that we know it and execute it well, the stronger our influence will be. That is the reputation that got us where we are today.”

Slubowski said Sr. Mary and Sexton will engage the membership to identify some “signature initiatives” that can be embraced by the entire ministry and

From left, Kevin Lofton, Mary Starmann-Harrison and Lloyd Dean discuss the idiosyncrasies of ministry mergers and acquisitions, on a panel moderated by Kevin Sexton. Dean and Lofton are chief executives of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health; Starmann-Harrison is president and chief executive of Hospital Sisters Health System of Springfield, Ill.; and Sexton is CHA board chairman.

choice of a Catholic name for their hospital that resonates with the community.

Catholic connections The panelists agreed that building and maintaining positive relationships with Catholic Church leaders is essential.

Starmann-Harrison said that in the earliest stages of a potential merger or acquisition, HSHS reaches out to bishops to brief them.

She noted that bishops have been very welcoming of HSHS acquisitions, which have added Catholic health care to their dioceses.

Lofton said systems can’t just wait until a deal needs church approval to contact bishops — hospital leaders should be nurturing relationships with their local ordinaries on an ongoing basis, and the parent system should keep bishops in communities impacted by a merger apprised from the onset of merger talks. Dean said, “The importance of the relationship with bishops cannot be overstated.”

Dean said Catholic health care is “one of the greatest works of the church, and we need to be in alignment” with church leadership. He said it is up to ministry leaders

to be in dialogue with church leaders, helping them to understand the complexities of Catholic health care delivery in the context of the broader health care system.

Lofton noted that CommonSpirit now has a presence in about 45 dioceses. It maintains close connections with those dioceses as well as with the leadership of the Archdioceses of Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. This includes relationships with Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of the Archdiocese of Denver, home to CHI; Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, home to Dignity Health; and Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Lofton said Archbishop Aquila invited bishops in CHI communities to talk about the merger. Dean said that similarly Archbishop Cordileone took the lead in assembling for dialogue about 21 bishops in Dignity communities impacted by the merger, as well as Dignity governance and leadership members and congregations of women religious with ties to Dignity. Lofton noted that the CommonSpirit merger was not impactful from a sponsorship perspective for CHI facilities, because their sponsorship

contribute to a better future for people in communities served by Catholic health care.

In his address to the assembly, Sexton explained that CHA will do this in part by helping the ministry focus on and underscore its Catholicity and strengthen its role as an advocate for the poor.

‘Bright future’ Following her commissioning ceremony, Sr. Mary spoke to the audience of the ministry’s “bright future.” She said the ministry would be able to thrive amid all the pressures because of Catholic health care’s ability to reach out to, and on behalf of, those in need. “It’s why we’re so wellpositioned today to lead the transformation of health care in our country,” she said.

Sexton said CHA will point ministry members toward ways to achieve demonstrated excellence, reinforce their special standing as defenders of those in need, and build upon their positive community relationships, including by expanding their relationships with other Catholic institutions. Sexton said these types of activities will provide additional momentum to ministry members already doing impactful work in these areas.

Sr. Mary said CHA will be a resource to ministry systems as they work to address health care disparities, improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations, focus on population health and engage in community outreach and collaboration to address the root causes of health issues.

Sr. Mary said, “Together with all of you,

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

Layers of complexity Dean, Lofton and Starmann-Harrison identified potential barriers to mergers and acquisitions including the complexity of combining large systems, attacks from both sides of the political spectrum about services that would and wouldn’t be offered in Catholic facilities, community pushback against changes at their local facilities, employee angst, the difficulties of unifying differing cultures, and the laborious process of obtaining church and regulatory approvals of deals.

In recent years, HSHS has acquired three rural community hospitals and converted them from secular to Catholic institutions.

Starmann-Harrison said the system narrows its sights to facilities in communities with unmet needs that are within 90 miles of one of its tertiary hospitals, so the new hospital can be a feeder institution. HSHS looks to ensure there is a realistic opportunity for the system to help address those needs before pursuing an acquisition.

Starmann-Harrison said communication and relationship-building are an essential part of the process. HSHS solicits input from leadership, staff and patients of hospitals being acquired, as well as from clergy of all denominations and residents in the impacted communities. She said clergy have been supportive of having a faithbased hospital. Once a deal enters the final stages, HSHS involves stakeholders in the

Jerry Naunheim Jr./© CHA

benefit the Catholic health ministry, strengthening it to better serve the poor and vulnerable. “If there was ever a need in the U.S. for Catholic health care it is now, and if there ever was a need for a voice to redefine health and health care, I think this is the moment,” he said.

Lofton and Dean said CommonSpirit intends to develop and implement innovations that will help contain health care cost growth, enhance community benefit programs, address root causes of health disparities and make the system “a beacon of hope for the poor in this country.”

Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM

I will work unceasingly to ensure that CHA is a catalyst in forging a path forward and that Catholic health care is recognized for its leadership in promoting the well-being of our country.”

Tributes Throughout the gathering, speaker after speaker paid tribute to Sr. Carol’s career-long advocacy on behalf of women and children, the health care of the poor and vulnerable and her commitment to protecting life from conception to natural death.

Among the admirers were former Senate majority leaders and assembly co-presenters Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, and Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. “I go all the way

structure was unchanged. Dignity’s Catholic facilities, by comparison, went through a transition, coming under the sponsorship of CHI’s public juridic person, Catholic Health Care Federation.

People skills Dean said tending to cultural fit between merger partners must be an intentional process that involves employees at all levels of the organization. CommonSpirit has been soliciting associates’ input on what to preserve and what to change from the two systems. They are spreading best programs — such as Dignity’s Hello Humankindness campaign and CHI’s anti-violence work — throughout the merged system. And they also are creating new programming that will be unique to CommonSpirit.

Lofton said the employees of CommonSpirit “are galvanized” around the new system’s work “because they want to be part of our faith-based work, and they support our focus on care of the poor and vulnerable.” jminda@chausa.org

back to the decade before this when ACA was hotly contested,” Daschle said, “and Sr. Carol was right in the middle, down in the trenches every single day. And just an enormous inspiration to so many of us.”

Frist said, “Sr. Carol is out there, whether it is business meetings or hospital meetings or health care meetings, she’s there. And she’s always introduced as sort of the conscience of helping folks in need.

You all know that.”

At the assembly awards banquet, dozens of CHA’s current and past board members took the stage to raise a champagne toast to Sr. Carol; the hundreds of banquet attendees joined in at their tables.

Sr. Carol told those assembled, “I will miss you intensely. You have been so incredibly good to me. And I want to thank you with all my heart.

“And I promise that there will never be a day of my life that I don’t pray for you and pray for your success in the ministry.”

The CHA award that will carry Sr. Carol’s name will be created by sculptor Abraham Mohler. It will depict Christ as the good shepherd. When Sexton announced the tribute, the sculptor’s concept line drawing for the award was projected as a backdrop to the ballroom stage. A beaming Sr. Carol said the image reminded her of a statue by Austrian sculptor Rudolph Marschall in the Vatican Library that she has admired countless times. She joked that she has often said that if that statue ever turned up missing, people should check her office.

Visit chausa.org/chworld to view the tribute video to Sr. Carol. jminda@chausa.org

ASSEMBLY 2019

From page 1

sacred and daunting task, but it is one that every individual in health care, from patient transporters to physician specialists, makes lighter through their contributions.

There are many challenges and so many uncertainties that will impact Catholic health care in the United States in the near future: The 2020 presidential election, the growing political and economic divide in society, the leadership crisis in our church, the unmet needs of desperate and poor immigrants who seek safety and opportunity here, the mounting health toll of environmental degradation and global warming. Many of you alluded to these challenges as you offered your congratulations and thanked me for accepting the leadership of CHA, which made me think, “And why did I say yes to this?”

But my initial angst over that daunting to-do list fades as I take stock of the peo-

ple who’ve shaped Catholic health care over vice providers to reduce social isolation, the decades to be a source of hope and heal- and promote affordable housing, ecoing and a force for social good. Like the dis- nomic opportunity and other factors that ciples, I’m grateful for Pentecost and trust impact health, quality of life and longevGod’s spirit continues to be with us. ity. And we will continue to strive to treat Every generation is every patient with The people of Catholic called to respond to the dignity and respect. defining challenges of The positive impact health care will remain its time. In health care of those encounters in the U.S., a central steadfast and passionate will ripple out to challenge continues strengthen the wellto be ensuring that all about our commitment to being of families and people have access to contribute to social create a just health care cohesion in a fragthe care and resources they require to lead mented age. system for all. healthy and productive So, as I settle into lives. This is a matter of social justice on par seat 8A and cast my gaze out the window, I with the struggle for civil rights. The people see a world of possibility. I look forward to of Catholic health care will remain steadfast hearing from you and for opportunities to and passionate about our commitment to further our collective mission. Thank you create a just health care system for all. for the trust you’ve placed in me; we are in And, when we raise our voices in unity, this together. And my special thanks to Sr. we will be a force for good in the nation’s Carol for all that she has done to prepare health care policy debates. In our local com- me for this role and to ensure a smooth munities, we will continue to advance well- transition. ness by improving health care access and outreach. We will team up with social ser-

IF YOU ’RE NEW TO MISSION — SAVE T HE DAT E!

Essentials for Leading Mission in Catholic Health Care

For New Mission Leaders!

Essentials for Leading Mission in Catholic Health Care is designed specifically for new mission leaders and those considering entering the ministry of mission integration to assist their growth in the competencies necessary to be effective in their roles.

In-Person Meeting SEPT. 9 – 11, 2019

The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel St. Louis

The 2019 program will be followed by a series of online meetings, approximately every two months starting in November. The topics covered in the online meetings will include international outreach, community benefit, advocacy as well as subject areas the cohort group will determine. We will use the Zoom® videoconference meeting platform so participants will be able to see one another and continue to develop their mission leader network.

The program will start at approximately 1 p.m. CT on Monday, Sept. 9, and conclude by noon CT on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Online Zoom® Meetings, 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET NOV. 12, 2019, JAN. 14, 2020, & MARCH 10, 2020

The registration cost covers both the in-person meeting and all online meetings, with the series concluding in the spring of 2020.

OBJECTIVES After completion of this program, participants will be able to:

Express trends in mission

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pply the Ethical and Religious A Directives for Catholic Health Care Services

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escribe the mission leader’s D role in spiritual care and workplace spirituality

leader competencies and organizational roles !

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Quiñones

Sr. Mary

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July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

rticulate a fundamental A theological grounding for the work of mission and framework for the Catholic health ministry xplain Catholic social teaching E relating to health care

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I dentify timely issues, practices and resources in pastoral care and ministry formation

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rticulate the role of the mission A leader in business decisions including strategic planning, budgeting and operations

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escribe the mission leader’s D role in community benefit

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S hare the importance of international outreach as part of the organization’s mission

LEARN MORE AT CHAUSA.ORG/EVENTS

From page 1

recounted the many hurdles he overcame from a childhood in which he once picked cherries and tomatoes to help support his family to a career where he has attained the highest reaches of television journalism. He recalled the perseverance and personal heroes that helped him get there.

A lifelong Catholic, Quiñones grew up in extreme poverty on the west side of San Antonio. His father, Bruno, was a janitor and his family had very little. The younger Quiñones learned to speak English fluently and at age 12, decided he wanted to be a television journalist. (Geraldo Rivera was one of his early idols in broadcast journalism.)

Quiñones worked hard to overcome a “heavy Mexican accent” for future television audiences. He signed up for drama classes, successfully auditioned for the lead role in a city performance of “Romeo and Juliet,” and even snuck into the sound studio while interning at a local radio station to practice his delivery. After graduating from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, he met an alumna of Columbia University who took an interest in his career goals and wrote the university a letter of recommendation on his behalf.

Quiñones was accepted, graduating with a master’s degree in journalism. He landed his first television news reporting job in Chicago. While there, he went undercover posing as an immigrant crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. He chronicled paying a coyote $300 to provide phony documents and help him cross the Rio Grande River. The story also exposed a Chicago restaurant owner refusing to pay undocumented workers. The piece won Quiñones the first of seven Emmy Awards.

Around that time, ABC News was looking for its first Latino reporter. The late Peter Jennings, then-anchor of “ABC World News Tonight,” another of Quiñones’ heroes, happened to see the immigration piece. Later, Quiñones was hired to cover the war in Nicaragua.

Quiñones recalled how he called Jennings to tell him that he had landed an interview with then-Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Nicaraguan officials later canceled the interview. Quiñones said he was nervous about telling Jennings, not knowing whether he would be reprimanded, or worse. “‘John, this is going to happen again in your career, where someone promises you something that they don’t deliver,’” Quiñones said Jennings reassured him. “He said, ‘Don’t worry so much talking about the movers and the shakers of the world, instead talk to the moved and the shaken.

You can talk to the real victims of war and natural disasters.’”

Quiñones’ show — “What Would You Do?” — uses hidden cameras to test the public’s response to a variety of situations, such as someone collapsing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. It’s about doing the right thing at unexpected decision points.

Compassion — like that shown by some of the show’s unwitting participants — is an important virtue now more than ever, he said, considering the deep divisions in the U.S. and the debates over race, politics and immigration.

“Down along the Mexican border not far from here, families (are) being ripped apart simply because they weren’t born in this country,” he said. “You know politicians, they keep talking about building higher and higher walls in this country, when in my humble opinion, we should be building stronger and stronger bridges between the different factions.”

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

ASSEMBLY 2019

Postcards from Dallas

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n the heart of Texas, an exuberant ministry showed Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, love and gratitude for her career contributions to Catholic health care as she passed the mantle of CHA leadership to Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM. The Catholic Health Assembly brought over 800 Catholic health care leaders to this booming southern city. In their own markets and communities across the U.S., these leaders work to ensure Catholic health care prospers and continues to advance the health and well-being of all. Sr. Mary told the gathering that, acting collectively, the ministry is well positioned to lead the transformation of health care in the U.S. Photos by Jerry Naunheim Jr./Š CHA

ASSEMBLY 2019

July 1, 2019 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD 

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD July 1, 2019

KEEPING UP PRESIDENTS/CEOS Justin Krueger to president of the North Market of Mercy Health — Cincinnati, effective July 15. He succeeds Tom Urban, who retired earlier this year. Krueger was president of Mercy Health — Clermont Hos-

pital of Batavia, Ohio. Clermont Hospital has launched a search to fill Krueger’s role.

Brian M. White to Atlantic Group president of Bon Secours Mercy Health, effective April 16. He was executive vice president of LifeBridge Health. White also is interim Rich-

Associate Editor, Catholic Health World CHA seeks an experienced reporter/editor for its specialty newspaper, Catholic Health World. CHA advances the Catholic health ministry of the United States in caring for people and communities. Composed of more than 600 hospitals and 1,600 long-term care and other health facilities in all 50 states, the Catholic health ministry is the largest group of nonprofit health care providers in the nation.

The associate editor reports, edits and performs some administrative tasks essential to the production of Catholic Health World and helps keep the paper on schedule through its twice-monthly production cycle. Working in close communication with the editor, the associate editor reports and writes clear, accurate and engaging features, news and analysis pieces (on deadline), writes headlines, and edits and proofreads copy. The associate editor conceptualizes and generates story ideas for execution by self or others and solicits story ideas from members and CHA colleagues. The associate editor produces multimedia content for the paper’s website and social media feeds.

Minimum qualifications: Five to seven years reporting/writing/editing for a newspaper or other periodical.

Demonstrated knowledge of publishing procedures plus advanced writing/ editing/proofreading/fact checking and rewriting skills.

Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in journalism, English, communications or related field.

Understanding of national health policy and of the mission and goals of Catholic health care helpful.

To view a more detailed description of this position visit the Careers page at chausa.org.

Contact CBruder@chausa.org with any questions.

Cara Brouder, Senior Director, Human Resources Catholic Health Association 4455 Woodson Rd. St. Louis, MO 63134 Phone: 314-427-2500 For consideration, please email your resume to HR@chausa.org

DALLAS / JUNE 9 – 11

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

THANK YOU

mond, Va., market president of Bon Secours.

He replaces Toni Ardabell, who is departing Bon Secours Richmond to join Inova Health System, effective later this month.

Dr. David Klein to president and chief executive of Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. He also retains his position as president and chief executive of Saint Francis Memorial Hospital of San Francisco. Also, Mark A. Ryle to president of the Saint Francis Foundation.

Allen L. Bonace to president/chief executive of Saint Mary’s Home of Erie, Pa., from chief operating officer. He replaces Sr. Phyllis McCracken, SSJ, who has retired

to assume an elected leadership role with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Organizations within Trinity Health of Livonia, Mich., have made these changes: Janice Dunn to chief financial officer, Tamara Bourda to the newly created position of vice president of community health and well-being and Jeff Brown to vice president of support services, all at St. Mary’s Health Care System of Athens, Ga. Dr. Robert Roose to chief medical officer for Mercy Medical Center of Springfield, Mass.

Ascension makes leadership changes St. Louis-based Ascension has an– nounced these changes to its leadership team, which are effective July 1: Anthony Tersigni retires as Ascension chief executive. (He had previously announced a year-end retirement date.) He continues as chair of the board of Ascension Capital, Ascension’s newly created health care investment fund. He also will be a consultant to the Ascension board and will continue working with the Global Solidarity Fund.

Joseph Impicciche to transitional president and chief executive of Ascension.

The system had named him Ascension president and chief operating officer earlier this year.

Anthony Speranzo to president and chief executive of Ascension Capital, from executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Sr. Bernice Coreil, DC, will transition from her role as senior executive advisor to the president and chief executive, effective Dec. 31.

Dr. Joe Cacchione to executive vice president, clinical and network services, from ministry market executive for Ascen-

sion Michigan and president and chief executive of Ascension Medical Group.

Eduardo Conrado to executive vice president, chief strategy and innovations officer, from executive vice president and chief digital officer.

Craig Cordola to executive vice president and chief operating officer, from ministry market executive for Ascension Texas.

Eric Engler to executive vice president and chief of staff, from senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Ascension.

Elizabeth Foshage to executive vice president and chief financial officer, from senior vice president of finance.

Christine Kocot McCoy to executive vice president and general counsel, from senior vice president and general counsel.

Nick Ragone to executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, from senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer.

Karen Springer to executive vice president, performance optimization and nursing operations, from executive vice president of health care operations.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRADUATES OF THE EXECUTIVE MA IN HEALTH CARE MISSION COHORT 10!

Assembly 2019 was made possible in part by generous support from:

EMERALD FRIEND

PLATINUM FRIEND

GOLD FRIENDS

Aquinas Institute of Theology is proud of our graduates and all they have accomplished! Many blessings as you serve as leaders in the healing ministry of the Church!

SILVER FRIENDS AngioScreen®

Diversified Search

Lyon Software

ApolloMD

HealthSearch Partners

NewGen Surgical

B.E. Smith

Huron

PayActiv

Catalyst Learning Company

Key Green Solutions

U.S. Census Bureau

Leadership Formation Partners

Versatex

Community Capital Management, Inc. Core Clinical Partners

Loyola University Chicago

The EMAHCM prepares theologically and spiritually formed leaders who can ensure the future vitality and integrity of health care as a mission of Christ.

Are you ready to take the next steps in your mission leader formation?

Contact us at 314.256.8801 or admissions@ai.edu.

Ziegler

23 S. Spring Ave. | St. Louis, MO 63108 www.ai.edu