I am a first-generation lay leader. For the last 15 years, I have been formed as a mission leader by sisters who invested in me. I believe Catholic healthcare is precious gift that should be preserved and should prosper. And I am happy, and humbled, to serve you as CHA chair.
I believe Catholic healthcare is a precious gift which our foundresses gave to our young country. In Catholic healthcare we are unique in our calling, our care and our service. Our calling invites each person to join an international mission-minded community and to find their personal purpose in serving the greater good of others. Our care aims to heal in mind, body and spirit. And we are unique in our value of human dignity which compels us to serve all who come with compassion, love and care. By doing this, we became an appreciated local institution — valued for helping our local communities to thrive.
But today, the collective challenges we face are bigger than all of us. Think for a moment about our challenges: repeated national policy reforms from both the left and the right. Medicare. Medicaid. Managed Medicare. HHS. CMS. Pharmacy costs. 340b challenges. Site neutrality. Nonprofit scrutiny. Religious suspicion. Well-funded competitors. Platform hyperscalers. And now, AI.
These challenges are bigger than all of us. The largest of us cannot speak loudly enough in the national dialogue to be a prophetic voice for Catholic healthcare. Some among us languish because we cannot access the tools, technologies and resources to continue serving our local communities. And yet, we must conquer these challenges if Catholic healthcare is to thrive in our local communities for another generation.
I believe the solutions to these challenges can be found in the "seeds" of our formation. Here are a two from my experience, which we need to "plant:"
1. Our formation in mission makes us stronger together.
Before Joining Catholic healthcare, I worked for a railroad during a national merger, in the airline industry during 9/11, and for a major for-profit health system during a turnaround. These hard lessons taught me that a well-integrated merger can make you stronger, that scale and speed are tools which enable an organization to thrive and respond to crisis.
But the critical key came from my first mission leader and former CHA chair, Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM. Sr. Doris taught me that forming our people in mission was just as important as developing our skills and strategy. And when we merged three Catholic systems who were then deeply tested through the COVID crisis, Sr. Doris was right: Our formation in mission and values gave us the unique path, purpose and strength we needed to thrive through mergers and crisis, through challenge and change. Our mission formation makes us stronger together.
2. We must come together in unity.
Our conference theme is "United for Change." Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Of course Jesus is speaking of his death which produced the "fruit" of the church. But for us in Catholic healthcare, I believe that is also a challenge and call:
- In Jesus' metaphor, the tragedy is the fruitlessness of a seed that "remains alone." That is a challenge to us in Catholic healthcare.
- While trying to preserve our own ministry, we cannot silently allow others to languish and fail.
- We must set aside the individualism which separates, dilutes and defeats us.
- Our greatest threat is tribalism.
But "if the grain of wheat falls in the earth and dies … it bears much fruit." For us, I believe that's a call:
- To come together. Work together. Serve together.
- To speak with a singular, collective "prophetic" voice.
- To act in unity.
- To lend our time, talent and treasures to strengthen each other.
- To make the "bold changes" needed to use the modern tools of technology to provide new access and affordable care in our local communities.
We will do difficult things. We must. That is not the question. Our question is: Will we do those in a way that strengthens each other and Catholic healthcare?
During CHA sponsorship training, CHA President and CEO Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, summarized this truth well when she said: "A sponsor acts on behalf of the church, not the individual ministry."
We have the opportunity now to combine for the collective good. To create communities and cultures that work in concert to serve and heal.
My hope is that we courageously cooperate to strengthen one another. That we plant our "grains of wheat" and renew ministries which innovate on scale. That through our bold changes, humans flourish in our communities.
For me, I am ready to plant with you. To be "planted" for you. The future of Catholic healthcare is worth it. And I am glad to serve you.