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Health Progress
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Summer 2026I recently overheard a concerning conversation between two people who disagreed over a news story. Their arguments were valid. They passionately represented differing perspectives. But as their dialogue shifted into debate, curiosity disappeared. They were no longer listening. In that moment, they forgot their relationship was one of deep, personal knowing, and instead, invisible lines were drawn — each assigning a partisan label to the other. Walls rose quickly. Fellowship felt impossible. -
Summer 2026Ethics — The Updated ERDs as Catalyst for Engagement on Medical, Ethical Questions
In the months since the release of the seventh edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs), CHA has engaged with ethicists and mission leaders across the ministry to better understand how these revisions are being received and applied. These conversations revealed something important: The seventh edition's impact lies less in what changed and more in the opportunity it has created for reengagement. -
Summer 2026Formation — How Experience, Culture and Tradition Shape Catholic Healthcare: The Formation Triangle
Ministry formation weaves together the head and the heart. Through the years, it has developed its own distinctiveness. It differs from education, though drawing on knowledge and information. It also differs from formation in religious communities or parish and diocesan settings. A key distinctive feature is that our work transpires in a pluralistic environment, not exclusive to the community of believers. -
Spring 2026'I Have Loved You': Catholic Health Care's Role in Applying Dilexi Te to Medicaid’s New Community Engagement Requirements
As states and health systems prepare for sweeping changes to Medicaid under legislation that passed last year, including new mandatory “community engagement” (work, education, training and related activities) for many adults outlined in H.R. 1, Catholic health care leaders have a distinctive lens to bring to implementation: the moral vision articulated in Pope Leo XIV’s 2025 apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You). -
Spring 2026National Survey Highlights Trends and Obstacles to Professional Spiritual Care in Catholic Health Environments
In the summer and fall of 2025, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) conducted a survey of those working in professional spiritual care within Catholic health ministries in the United States. -
Spring 2026Mission — Go and Do Likewise: A Tradition of Caring for Our Immigrant Brothers and Sisters
On Nov. 12, 2025, the seventh edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) was officially released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Baltimore. For those of us working in the Catholic health care ministry, this was big news with significant implications for our work. -
Winter 2026Venerable Nelson Baker: What We Can Learn from This Apostle of Charity
Fr. Nelson Baker was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. His 60 years in the priesthood were spent sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and giving hope to the destitute. -
Winter 2026
Mission — Exploration of the Soul Is Ever-Present in the Ministry's Changing Seasons
Like many of you, the events of the recent season have left me feeling powerless. Angst over recent policies persists, as some legislators attempt to oppress health care coverage for those most in need. We find ourselves asking, "How might I be an effective agent for change?" The divisiveness feels hopeless, where societal fear of the "other" looms as acceptable. As we look for God's unity amid the animosity, we ask, "How am I to be a bringer of peace?" But beneath powerlessness and hopelessness, soul questions lie dormant until their proper time. -
Winter 2026
Formation — Survey: Senior Leadership Formation Is Fueled by Regular Cadence, Ample Time
Senior leadership formation programs have become fixed features of Catholic health ministries in the United States. They have such importance that every ministry has a means of providing them for their senior leadership, and the data indicate the establishment of a shared vision for content, process and programmatic experience. -
Winter 2026Thinking Globally — Embracing Global Unity First in a 'What's in It for Me' World
Catholic health institutions in every corner of the world serve as beacons of hope, compassion and healing. From urban hospitals to remote rural clinics, the healing ministry continues to respond to the needs of communities with special attention to the most vulnerable. -
Winter 2026Community Benefit — How Community Benefit Serves as a Living Expression of Catholic Health's Mission and Commitment
While many in Catholic health care are familiar with our Catholic social teaching and the ways it is embedded in the care that we provide, these Catholic social teachings are also the central tenets of our community benefit programs and activities. -
Fall 2025Maryland's Total Cost of Care Model Aligns Health Innovation With Mission-Driven Care
A 60-year-old woman living with chronic conditions such as asthma, polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis and depression sought emergency care due to worsening shortness of breath. Following her discharge from the emergency department, she continued to struggle with her symptoms while also navigating significant barriers to recovery, including food insecurity, lack of transportation and the need for home-based medical support.
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S6: EP18United for Change: Season 6 Highlights on Catholic Healthcare, Community Impact & Human Flourishing
In the Season 6 finale of Health Calls, host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka reflect on the theme “United for Change” through a clip show featuring top voices in Catholic healthcare. Drawing from insights shared at the Catholic Health Association Assembly, Brian and Josh highlight how unity, collaboration and Catholic social teaching are transforming care delivery across the United States. Clips from six different episodes underscore the importance of listening deeply, valuing lived experience and addressing social determinants of health such as housing, food insecurity and mental health. From parish nurse programs to community partnerships and immigrant advocacy, these conversations illustrate how Catholic healthcare can elevate human flourishing by working collaboratively, building trust and centering the dignity of every person. Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube
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S6: EP17
Health, Nature, and How Community Partnership Can Build a Better Future
Health Calls Season 6, Episode 17 explores how health systems across the United States can improve outcomes by connecting health care, nature, and community partnerships. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Dr. Sheetal Rao, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, to examine the growing evidence linking green space access to better physical, mental, and community health.Dr. Rao shares how the COVID‑19 pandemic revealed stark inequities in access to nature, introducing concepts like tree equity and "nature deficit" in underserved communities. The conversation highlights how hospitals, acting as anchor institutions, can partner with local organizations to expand tree canopy, support biodiversity, and reduce environmental risks like heat, flooding, and air pollution. With U.S. health care contributing significantly to climate impacts, Dr. Rao underscores how nature‑based solutions, from native plantings to urban forestry, can strengthen resilience, improve health outcomes, and advance more equitable, sustainable care nationwide. Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube
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S6: EP16
Dispensary of Hope: Reducing Medication Costs and Increasing Access
Health Calls Season 6, Episode 16 highlights how health systems across the United States are expanding medication access through the nonprofit Dispensary of Hope. Host Brian Reardon speaks with Mike Wascovich, Vice President of Medication Management and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Ascension, about addressing one of the nation’s most urgent challenges — prescription affordability. With as many as half of U.S. prescriptions going unfilled due to cost, the Dispensary of Hope connects donated medications from pharmaceutical partners to clinics and pharmacies serving vulnerable populations. Wascovich explains how the program has grown into a national network of more than 300 sites, helping patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. By improving adherence, reducing hospitalizations, and cutting unnecessary waste, this collaborative model demonstrates how U.S. health care organizations can work together to lower costs, improve outcomes, and ensure patients receive the medications they need to heal.Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube