Wednesday, June 3 – 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Catholic health ministries are extending the impact of ministry formation by engaging not only employed associates but also partner organizations and contracted workers who contribute to the healing mission. As ministries increasingly rely on vendors such as food service teams, environmental services, hospitalist groups, lab partners, and call centers, formation is becoming a strategic tool for ensuring mission alignment across all who serve patients and families. The session will examine why this approach is vital for sustaining Catholic identity, how formation fosters meaning and purpose among ministry partners, and what practical steps help organizations begin this work.
Speakers:
- Lyle K. Weiss, S.T.D. - System Director of Ministry Formation, Bon Secours Health System, Inc.
- Sarah Reddin - Vice President, Ministry Formation- Mission Integration, Ascension
- Mary Beth Bulte, MBA, MAHcML, MSW - Vice President, Mission Integration & Strategic Initiatives, Mercy
The Lloyd H. Dean Institute integrates humankindness and health justice into education, training, research, and evaluation to combat healthcare inequities. We develop education and training pathways, generate equity-focused research, and evaluate outcomes for meaningful impact. By cultivating a workforce grounded in empathy, compassion, and respect, the Institute advances a model integrating humankindness into every point of care. Through innovative programs like The Common Good Academy, we're not just improving care; we’re transforming it, ensuring kindness and equity at every touchpoint.
Speakers:
- Dr. Alisahah Jackson - President, Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindess and Health Justice
- Heather Foster, MPH, MCHES, CHC - System Research Grant Program Manager, Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindess and Health Justice
This session highlights two community-based care models that extend support beyond clinical settings to improve continuity of care for vulnerable populations. Together, Ascension's Medical Mission at Home and Saint Joseph’s Community Paramedicine Program demonstrates how health systems and community partners can close access gaps, reduce re-admissions, and build sustainable pathways to long-term health and well-being.
Speakers:
- Austin Roush - Advanced Practice Paramedic Director of Paramedicine, Saint Joseph Health
- Amber Sims - Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, Ascension
- Thomas VanOsdol - Executive Vice President, Chief Integration Officer, Ascension
Avera Health and Bon Secours Mercy Health in collaboration with Brado, will examine how artificial intelligence can expand access and patient support while raising important ethical, legal, and operational considerations for Catholic ministries. The session will feature two complementary perspectives. One explores current AI use cases in clinical and operational settings, the regulatory and legal frameworks that govern them, and the due diligence steps needed to evaluate new tools. The second highlights Catherine, a generative-AI platform to accompany patients through complex health journeys with dignity, clarity, and compassion. Together, these perspectives illustrate both the transformative potential and the serious responsibilities involved in deploying AI in Catholic health care.
Speakers:
- Richard Korman, Esq. - Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, Avera Health
- Andy Parham - CEO, Brado AI
- Sandra D. Mackey - Chief Marketing Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health
From access and affordability to 340B and community benefit, CHA’s Washington, DC-based advocacy team is working every day to shape federal legislation and regulatory policy. We invite you to join CHA staff for a timely discussion of our advocacy priorities and what they mean for the Catholic health ministry and the communities you serve. You’ll leave with a clear view of key Congressional developments and Administration actions—and the opportunities ahead to strengthen our mission and advance a more just and compassionate health care system.
CHA Speakers:
- Lucas Swanepoel - Vice President, Advocacy and Public Policy
- Kathy Curran - Senior Director, Public Policy
- Paulo Pontemayor - Senior Director, Government Relations
- Indu Spugnardi - Senior Director, Community Health & Eldercare
- Nancy Lim - Director, Community Health Improvement
Integrated Care for the Most Vulnerable will feature two models that bring whole-person, community-anchored care to individuals facing the greatest barriers to health. Participants will hear from panelists serving the DePaul Community Health Center and the Medical Respite at Pinellas Hope to demonstrate how mission-driven, community-based strategies can close gaps, improve outcomes, and deliver care to those most vulnerable.
Speakers:
- Jojo Dyachim, D. HCML, HEC-C, AIGP - Vice President, Mission and Ethics, Baycare Health System
- Michael G. Griffin, DSc., FACHE - President and CEO, Depaul Community Health Centers
- Stacy Garrett-Ray, MD, MPH, MBA - Senior Vice President & Chief Community Impact Officer, Ascension
Wednesday, June 3 – 3:00 - 3:45 p.m.
This session brings together two mission-driven approaches that strengthen maternal health by integrating mental, physical and social care. One initiative uses a system-wide Results Based Accountability framework to standardize depression screening and follow-up for expectant and new mothers, aligning workflows, updating policies, embedding protocols into the EHR, and training clinical teams to reduce disparities and ensure timely, compassionate support. The second focuses on social determinants of health that disproportionately affect women of color, using structured screening and referral processes to address needs such as food insecurity, transportation barriers, and housing instability. Together, these programs demonstrate how Catholic health ministries can advance equitable, whole-person maternal care rooted in dignity, justice, and the well-being of both mothers and babies.
Speakers:
- Ashley Dominic, MPH, PMP, CHW - Program Director, Health Equity, CHRISTUS Health
- Pratibha Roy - Program Director, Health Equity Business Intelligence, CHRISTUS Health
- Stacy Dorris, RN, BSN, OB - Nurse Navigator- Social Determinants of Health Program, SSM Health
The Hope Border Institute and the Center for Migration Studies of New York have collaborated to start Catholic IMMpact (Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project), an initiative to assist (arch)dioceses and Catholics to respond pastorally and materially to immigrants and their families threatened by the policy of mass deportation. Speakers will talk about how the initiative is working to educate and unify the Catholic community, both regionally and nationally, on immigration and to strengthen the nationwide Catholic network to advocate on behalf of immigrants. They will also discuss how the Catholic health-care community can contribute to the effort.
Speakers:
- Dylan Corbett - Executive Director, Hope Border Institute
- Kevin Appleby - Senior Fellow for Policy and Communications, Center for Migration Studies of New York
This session will highlight how mission-centered strategies can strengthen colleague engagement, resilience, and organizational culture across Catholic health ministries. The panelists will explore two complementary approaches:
- CHRISTUS Health's Dignity Index, a value-based measurement tool that promotes behaviors rooted in respect, inclusion, belonging, authenticity, recognition, and equal opportunity; and,
- Mercy Health's Caregiver Incident Response Team (CIRT), a coordinated support model that helps teams recover after disruptive or traumatic events.
Speakers:
- Warren Leichtle-Chalklen, PhD - Director, Dignity and Belonging, CHRISTUS Health
- Jasmine Glasford - Talent Insights Analyst, CHRISTUS Health
- Patrick Dotson, MA, M.Div., LPC, CEAP - Director, Employee Assistance Program, Mercy Health
This session reframes palliative care as a value-driven investment rather than a cost center, demonstrating how high-quality palliative services improve patient experience, family satisfaction, and overall care efficiency. Speakers will outline how aligning treatment with patient goals, reducing avoidable hospitalizations, and shortening length of stay generate measurable clinical and financial benefits across the continuum of care. The session will also outline essential investments – such as interdisciplinary staffing, communication training, and supporting infrastructure – needed to achieve these outcomes. By shifting from a cost mindset to a value mindset, Catholic health care can build sustainable palliative care programs that advance quality, equity, and mission while delivering measurable returns for patients and health systems.
Speakers:
- Gregg Vandekieft - Palliative Care Physician, Clinical Ethicist, Providence St. Peter Hospital
- Mark Kantrow - System Medical Director of Palliative Care, Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Palliative Medicine Program
Catholic Charities USA, in collaboration with the Catholic Health Association, launched the Healthy Housing Initiative in 2020 to address the critical connection between stable housing and improved health outcomes. Rooted in a shared mission to serve vulnerable populations with dignity and compassion, this collaboration brings together social services, housing, and healthcare systems to create lasting community impact. In a five-year span, The Healthy Housing Initiative (HHI) housed 792 chronically homeless individuals, created 1,700 housing units, reduced emergency room/hospital utilization by over 60%, generated an estimated $4 million dollar savings to the community, and saw incredible physical and mental health improvements in those housed. To achieve these results, national and local partnerships were formed with five Catholic Charities agencies and their local Catholic Health Systems and hospitals. As well, CCUSA collaborated with FADICA to research and engage Catholic leaders on the use of surplus Church property for affordable housing. This session will explore the results from a program evaluation done by researchers from Delaware State University and ideas gleaned in the use of church property.
Speakers:
- Brian Corbin - Executive Vice President, Member Services, Catholic Charities USA
- Curtis Johnson - Vice President, Housing Strategy, Catholic Charities USA
- Ben Wortham - Vice President, Integrated Health, Catholic Charities USA
- Jared Bryson - President and CEO, Catholic Charities of St. Louis
This breakout session will examine how Catholic social teaching and CHA’s global health priorities intersect with the escalating global health workforce crisis and Catholic health care’s leadership opportunity in this moment. Moderated by Bruce Compton, the discussion will frame workforce challenges, including shortages, burnout, migration, and ethical recruitment, as global and interconnected issues rather than isolated domestic concerns, highlighting how policies in high income countries shape health systems worldwide.
Speakers:
- Manjula Luthria - Economist, Workforce Mobility, World Bank
- Camille Grippon - System Director, Global Ministries, Bon Secours Mercy Health
- Tom Ahr - Chief Human Resources Officer, Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)