Confronting Racism by Achieving Health Equity
Racism within any context is an affront to the core values of Catholic social teaching, which acknowledges the inherent dignity of each person, calls for the furthering of the common good and seeks justice through solidarity. Catholic health care recognizes the profound effect racism has on the health and well-being of individuals and communities and is committed to addressing the systemic causes of health disparities among underserved and vulnerable populations. As such, we are committed to working with partners who share these convictions to implement wide-sweeping change and eliminate the racial inequities in our marginalized communities.
Health Equity Stories
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November 2025Boston College professor says working in solidarity and promoting the common good should help build social trust and support public health. -
October 2025At inaugural conference, California social and health care ministry leaders network, celebrate their work
CommonSpirit and Providence St. Joseph executives are among speakers, sharing the need to collaborate to help the poor and vulnerable. -
September 2025HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Illinois announces $116 million renovation and expansion
The work includes a bigger emergency department, a new outpatient surgery center and medical offices. -
September 2025Scripps Health launches Fourth Trimester program to help pregnant women with chronic medical issues
The San Diego-based system links the women to the care they need before and after they give birth. -
September 2025Through a fellowship, Providence hospital associate improves health outcomes for vulnerable population
The program helps sepsis patients with limited English proficiency to discharge from inpatient care more safely. -
September 2025In fellowship program, Providence staff devise practical solutions for real-life health inequities
The fellows then spread their approaches and knowledge throughout the system. -
Summer 2025Mission for This Moment
According to the evangelist and physician Luke, Jesus articulated his mission when he was filled with the Holy Spirit after fasting in the desert for 40 days and enduring the temptation to forsake love for fame, fortune and power. -
Summer 2025Health Equity — Racism, Poverty and Structures of Sin
Pope John Paul II wrote forcefully of the existence of structures of sin and our responsibility to correct them. “Structures of sin,” he wrote in the encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, “are rooted in personal sin, and thus always linked to the concrete acts of individuals who introduce these structures, consolidate them and make them difficult to remove..." -
Winter 2025Finding the Right Fit: Programs Foster Student Interest in Health Care, Diversify Future Workforce
Dr. Stacy Garrett-Ray will always remember the look of joy and wonder on a young girl's face the first time she heard the human heart through a stethoscope. "To let a child listen to your heart, it's a very touching experience," said Garrett-Ray, senior vice president and chief community impact officer for Ascension. The health system's Foundation for Health Equity connects middle schoolers with a day of hands-on health care-related activities through its #GOALS (Go Out and Love Science) program. -
Fall 2024Fostering Teamwork to Promote Harmony in the Workplace
"Everyone brings something with them when they come to work," said Odesa Stapleton, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health in Cincinnati. People are a collection of different work styles, lifestyles, needs and preferences, and it's up to organizations to help them all get along. -
Fall 2024Mobile Clinics: Driving Toward Health Equity
Health care is multifaceted, but the overall goal is to help people live their healthiest lives, regardless of who they are or where they live. This takes many forms, from prevention and health education, to clinical care and connection, to social and community-based services. Understanding patients, their cultures and preferences, their barriers and levels of health literacy is part of the equation that must be considered when working toward this goal. -
Fall 2024The Ripple Effect of 'WASH' in Catholic Health Care
When the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul first arrived in Ondo State in Nigeria in 1988, they found fertile agriculture as well as fertile ground for disease and severely limited health care. In 1995, they made a giant health care leap. They opened St. Catherine's Hospital and Maternity. The initial site and building, which were donated, grew to accommodate the remote community's needs. They do not charge patients.
"We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life."
– Pope Francis
– Pope Francis