Pope Francis on the 22nd World Day of the Sick
On the occasion of the Twenty-second World Day of the Sick, whose theme this year is Faith and Charity: “We Ought to Lay Down Our Lives for One Another” (1 Jn 3:16), I turn in a special way to the sick and all those who provide them with assistance and care. The Church recognizes in you, the sick, a special presence of the suffering Christ. It is true. At the side of – and indeed within – our suffering, is the suffering of Christ; he bears its burden with us and he reveals its meaning. (more…)
Dr. Pladson to retire from CentraCare at end of 2014
Terry Pladson, MD, has announced that he will retire as president and CEO of CentraCare Health on Dec. 31, 2014. (more…)
CHA-MN Board Member and Leader Passes
Sister Mary Heinen, CSJ passed away at the age of 80 on January 1, 2014 at Carondelet Village in St. Paul. She was a passionate Catholic health care leader and advocate, and had served for many years on the Catholic Health Association’s Board of Directors. Until the time of her death, she was the Director of Advocacy and Ethics for Cardondelet LifeCare Ministries (St. Mary’s Clinics). Full Obituary
Projected State Budget Surplus
Minnesota’s rebounding economy has brought the state a $1.08 billion surplus for the remainder of the two year budget cycle, according to a new state economic forecast. That’s good news for state leaders, who had pinned their hopes on the state steadily pulling itself out of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression. The first $246 million must be used to complete repayment of the K-12 school property tax recognition shift. Additionally, $15 million will be transferred to the state airports fund, restoring money originally borrowed in 2008. This forecast completes repayment of all accounting shifts from prior budget solutions. That leaves a bottom line surplus of $825 million, budget officials said. Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter said the forecast highlights the state’s recovery compared to the rest of the nation. On the national level, economists are seeing slower growth than expected and more uncertainty caused by continued political budget and spending showdowns. Minnesota is “one of the leading states in the country in terms of economic performance,” Schowalter said.
Birth-control Mandate Headed for a new Supreme Court Showdown
President Barack Obama’s health care law is headed for a new Supreme Court showdown over companies’ religious objections to the law’s birth-control mandate. Amid the troubled rollout of the health law, and 17 months after the justices upheld it, the Obama administration is defending a provision that requires most employers that offer health insurance to their workers to provide a range of preventive health benefits, including contraception. Roughly 40 for-profit companies have sued, arguing they should not be forced to cover some or all forms of birth control because doing so would violate their religious beliefs. (more…)
Reception with the Catholic Bishops
A Reception and Conversation with the Catholic Bishops of the State of Minnesota will be held on December 4, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for CHA-MN Members. The event will be held at the University of St. Thomas Anderson Student Center 2115 Summit Ave, St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, contact Mary Jane O’Brien at the Minnesota Catholic Conference at 651-227-8777 or mjobrien@mncc.org.
Benedictine Health System names Rocklon B. “Rocky” Chapin, as president/CEO
The Benedictine Health System Board of Directors has named Rocklon B. “Rocky” Chapin, FACHE, as president/CEO of Benedictine Health System effective Jan. 1, 2014. Chapin replaces Dale M. Thompson who announced his retirement in March 2013. Chapin joined the Benedictine Health System in January 2013 and currently serves as senior vice president, business development and strategic planning. He has been a leader in the management and health care industry for more than 35 years with experience in operations improvement, board and physician relations, managed care negotiations, strategic planning and business development. During his time at BHS, he has led System growth and partnership efforts with a specific emphasis on post-acute care initiatives and relationships with major hospitals and health systems.
CHA Releases Study on Theological Foundations of Catholic Healthcare
Under the direction of M. Therese Lysaught, Ph.D., CHA has released a study entitled, Living Catholic Health Care as Caritas in Communion. The analysis offers no recommendations regarding membership criteria or identifying behaviors or markers of Catholic identity that health care institutions should adopt. Nor does it provide a checklist or a formula for assessing which health care institutions are Catholic. And it stakes no particular position on the for-profit versus not for-profit question regarding Catholic health care. The task of this study was to identify the theological questions and analyses that might help inform CHA’s discussions about membership. More broadly, the task of this study was to identify the theological questions and fundamental commitments that ought to inform its discernment processes going forward. To access the complete study, visit here.
St. Mary’s Winsted Honored with National Quality Award
The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced the five care centers that have earned a 2013 Gold – Excellence in Quality National Quality award, including St. Mary’s Care Center of Winsted, MN. The award is the final of three distinct awards possible through the National Quality Award program presented by AHCA/NCAL. The competitive award program highlights select facilities across the nation that serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality long term care. (more…)
Magnet re-designation Honors St. Cloud Hospital for Excellence in Nursing
St. Cloud Hospital has received re-designation as a Magnet hospital, the second Minnesota hospital and one of only 60 hospitals worldwide, to achieve three or more Magnet designations. Magnet status, granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, is the highest international recognition for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.
St. Cloud Hospital received its initial Magnet designation in 2004. At that time there were just 100 Magnet hospitals in the country, and one in the state of Minnesota. Now there are 393 Magnet hospitals in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 4 countries (Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Australia). There are currently three Magnet hospitals in Minnesota: St. Cloud Hospital, Mayo Clinic Hospitals and Abbott Northwestern Hospital.