A CHA-commissioned study has found that Catholic health systems and facilities are highly interested in donating their surplus equipment and supplies overseas — and many of them already do so.

The elderly enter nursing homes because they need help and can no longer remain at home. They are frail, vulnerable and in most cases, deeply saddened — even frightened — about losing their independence.

When they are discharged from the hospital, patients with chronic conditions may get plenty of instructions from their doctors on how to care for themselves once they return home.

As the mother of two young children, Jennifer Schultz puts a high priority on setting aside quality time to share with family members.

To help promote health reform and demonstrate its value in expanding coverage and care access, CHA is collecting stories of patients who already have benefited from provisions in the law, which will hit the one-year mark March 23.

Already a community leader in promoting healthy eating and food safety, the Nutrition Center of Maine has introduced Clever Cooks, a program in which students learn to cook fresh meals for themselves and cater meals to the community.

Bishop William Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., was at Sacred Heart to mark the Feb. 11 World Day of the Sick, and he celebrated Mass in the hospital's chapel to bless the sick and their caregivers.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital of Yankton, S.D., has purchased Creighton Area Health Services of Creighton, Neb., a rural health network that includes a 23-bed critical access hospital, a 47-bed long-term care facility, a wellness center and two clinics.

Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., plans to purchase three Catholic hospitals and affiliated outpatient facilities in Scranton, Pa., through an agreement announced on Feb. 10.

HCA's East Florida Division and Mercy Hospital of Miami have signed a definitive agreement for the privately owned, for-profit HCA to purchase the 473-bed Mercy hospital.

When an early February blizzard dumped about 20 inches of snow on Chicago and closed down parts of the city's famous Lake Shore Drive, hundreds of stranded motorists turned to Chicago's Saint Joseph Hospital as a safe haven from the elements.

Through a two-pronged program focused on work and education, a Catholic hospital in southwestern Colorado is helping villages in Tanzania to benefit from the entrepreneurial savvy of what was once a largely untapped human resource there: women.