Catholic Health Association: Census Bureau Report and President Obama Make Strong Case for Bold, Immediate Action on Health Reform
Sister Carol Keehan, DC, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), issued the following statement regarding the Census Bureau Report and President Obama’s recent health reform proposal.
Current State Legislative Update
To view current bills within the Minnesota State Legislature that the Catholic Health Association is monitoring, follow the link below: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/leg/mybills.asp?user=chaminnesota&session=145109911&ls_year=86
JRLC Recognizes Sr. Mary Heinen
The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition recognized recently awarded CHAMN Board Member Sr. Mary Heinen the Lawrence D. Gibson Interfaith Social Justice Award at the annual JRLC Day on the Hill, which mobilizes citizen advocacy for social justice policies at the Minnesota Legislature. The award highlighted her health care advocacy work through St. Mary’s Clinics, which provide free primary health care to uninsured people in the seven-county metro area.
For a complete story on the award, see this article from The Catholic Spirit.
Archbishop blesses new chapel at St. Benedict’s Senior Community – Monticello
St. Benedict’s Senior Community was honored to have Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, S.T.D., from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis bless their new chapel on Jan.17. “Building a chapel was a priority for our recent expansion, said Sandy Haggerty, director of St. Benedict’s Senior Community – Monticello. “We are delighted to be able to offer Catholic and Protestant services for our residents, who sometimes cannot attend their own churches. Along with our other new amenities, our beautiful chapel enhances community life on our campus.” The mission of St. Benedict’s Senior Community is “Our actions are guided by the belief that ‘All Shall Be Treated as Christ.’ ” With foundational values and beliefs rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, St. Benedict’s Senior Community welcomes people of all faiths.
The Dignity of the Person
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has recently released a document entitled “The Dignity of the Person” under Pope Benedict XVI. The purposed was to provide moral instruction to the faithful on handling bioethical issues including stem cell research, cloning, and in vitro fertilization.
Freedom of Choice Act
For members of the media interested in learning more about the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and responses from the Catholic community, please review the Nov. 26 Catholic News Service article“FOCA’s effects seen as dire, but chance of it passing considered slim.” Read the CHA news release “Catholic Health Association Statement Regarding Proposed Freedom of Choice Legislation.”
Uninsured Data Released
The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data on this country’s number of uninsured as well as the number of persons living in poverty. In a news release, CHA’s President and CEO said: “The news today that 45.7 million people are uninsured, 1.3 million less than in 2006, while positive, should not be viewed as current progress toward solving this crisis.”BHS Seeks Mission Integration Director
Harry and Louise Return to Promote Health Care Reform in New Ad Campaign
Harry and Louise, the iconic couple featured in ads to defeat the Clinton health plan in 1993-1994, are back on television. This time they will lend their voice to strongly encourage health care reform. The new multi-million dollar ad campaign will air on national television throughout the Democratic and Republican conventions. In light of ever increasing health care costs and increasing numbers of people without health insurance coverage, Harry and Louise will urge the next President and Congress to put health care at the top of the domestic agenda.
The ad campaign is sponsored by five prominent national organizations. Those organizations — the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Catholic Health Association (CHA), Families USA, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) — represent diverse constituencies with historically different views on health care reform, but they have come together to promote urgent action to resolve the growing health care crisis.
Expansion of Not-for-Profit Hospitals
Not-for-profit hospitals are continuing to expand and strengthen their support of community benefit programs. This finding is one of many from a survey conducted in conjunction with the “Making an Impact: Evidence-Based Community Benefit” conference sponsored by the Catholic Health Association of the United States and VHA Inc., in cooperation with the School of Public Health at Saint Louis University.
CHA Joins 990 Coalition for Hospitals to Launch New Website
The Catholic Health Association has joined the American Health Lawyers Association, Healthcare Financial Management Association and VHA, Inc. to create a new website. The site, www.990forhospitals.org, was designed to promote accurate and standardized reporting of community benefit and related information on the revised IRS Form 990 and Schedule H by not-for-profit hospitals. We invite you to visit the website and learn more.