Process

Catholic health care is on the cusp of change. Leaders in the ministry believe that there is a need for a new vision with a 2020 horizon that builds off the foundational work done as a result of the concepts described in New Vision for a New Century (.pdf) — a report from the late 1980s that outlined a preferred direction for Catholic health care ministry.

Twenty years later, it is clear that much of what was described in the areas of focus for Catholic health ministry and the corresponding strategies to achieve that preferred future has been accomplished. Catholic ministries responded extraordinarily well to that vision and the ministry overall has propelled forward.

Catholic health care in the United States is a vibrant expression of the Church’s healing ministry of Jesus. Collectively, Catholic hospitals treat one in six hospital inpatients in the United States and provide 15% of the nation’s outpatient services. Our long term care ministries provide skilled and residential care to thousands of persons every day. The CHA Board of Trustees requested that the association conduct an iterative process to define the preferred vision for the Catholic health ministry. This preferred future vision was to address:

• who will be served;
• the services that will be provided;
• how they might be organized;
• the roles of governance and sponsorship;
• formation of lay leaders; and,
• engagement of our communities in Catholic health ministry.

The process launched at the 2009 Catholic Health Assembly and, over the following years, included in-person workshops and other engagements, as well as two ministry-wide electronic survey processes to elicit feedback. All leading up to the debut of Vision 2020 at the 2010 Catholic Health Assembly.