|
As we come to the close of another year, I can't help but think about the many millions of lives - patients, residents and family members - who have been touched during 2006 by the healing ministry of Catholic Health East. Colleagues. Physicians. Sponsors. Volunteers. Board members. Community residents. Auxilians. Donors. Everyday, in inpatient, outpatient, emergency, continuing care and residential settings in eleven U.S. States, CHE colleagues and facilities provide or support key medical programs and services upon which our local communities have come to expect and deserve. And while we are in awe of our skilled clinicians and caregivers who save and extend lives with the latest technology, diagnostics, and medications… we should be equally impressed by how each of our organizations reaches out to the poor, underserved, and most vulnerable residents via our community benefit programs. Last year, CHE ministries accounted for over $263 million in community benefit programs and services. That's an impressive number, and we should all be proud to be associated with an organization whose members provide this level of service in communities up and down the East Coast. But numbers alone cannot adequately communicate the depth and breadth of services that our ministries provide every day to people in need. We reach out in so many ways. Here's a small sampling of some of the community benefit programs and services provided by members of the CHE family: The Allegany Franciscan Ministries reaches out to underserved populations in south Florida, as evidenced by its support of the Haitian American Association Against Cancer, a group providing breast and cervical cancer outreach and support services to uninsured Haitian women and families in the Miami area. BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa operates an Indigent Prescription program that ensures needy patients receive up to seven days of needed medications post-discharge. Likewise, Mercy Medical operates a charitable pharmacy in Mobile, Alabama that last year filled 35,000 prescriptions for uninsured individuals. And St. Mary's Health Care System's Athens Nurses Clinic provides free medications and health care to local indigent and homeless residents in Athens, Georgia. Catholic Health System's Mission on the Move is a mobile health program operated dedicated to improving the health of the Western New York community by providing health education programs and screening services where people live, work and worship. Holy Cross Health Ministries supports a free clinic aimed at curbing a venereal disease outbreak that, according to the CDC, has reached epidemic proportions in some of the poorer areas of Broward County, Florida. Maxis Health System co-sponsors a Thanksgiving event providing food baskets that feed nearly one thousand neighbors in need. Mercy Community Health expanded its Adult Day Health Center to provide day services for area adults suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Mercy Hospital of Miami's Sister Emmanuel Hospital provides special programs and services that meet the often complex long term acute care needs of patients. Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, part of Mercy Health System of SEPA, provides temporary housing and support services for the homeless through a program conceived of and supported by hospital colleagues. Sisters of Providence Health System developed a special program that provides primary health care, case management, and maternal and child health services for Somali refugees who have relocated to the Springfield area. The St. Clare Van operated by St. Francis (Wilmington), Pittsburgh Mercy Health System's Operation Safety Net and Lourdes Health System's Project HOPE reach out with skill, determination and compassion to help meet the many medical and social needs of the homeless populations of their communities. In Trenton, St. Francis' Sister Hyacintha Program provides in-home primary care to elderly homebound residents with ongoing medical conditions. St. James Mercy Health System created the Mercy Suite, a special room set aside to meet the spiritual and privacy needs of terminally ill patients and their loved ones. St. Joseph of the Pines participates in Back Pack Pals, a program that supplies school supplies and food to area school students in need. St. Peter's Health Care Services piloted the Palliative Home Care Program to meet the needs of people with advanced progressive illness who live in their community and do not qualify for hospice-like care. St. Mary Medical Center initiated an after-school program targeting the problem of childhood obesity; its Fun & Fitness ASAP (After School Activity Program) uses innovative ways to instruct local students in healthy food choices and proper exercise. Saint Joseph Hospital's Mercy Care Services offer an impressive network of medical, dental and social services to the poor and underserved of its Atlanta community. Mercy Health System of Maine's Portland Community Free Clinic, staffed by more than 200 local physicians, nurses and staff members who volunteer their time and expertise, offers free, comprehensive healthcare for adults with limited income who have no insurance and no regular doctor. Uihlein Mercy Center's intergenerational planting program educates and engages local kindergarten students, giving them up-close-and-personal insights into some of the gifts that the elderly can share with their families and communities. As you can see, our CHE ministries reach far beyond their walls to have a positive impact on their communities. With the holidays of Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa upon us, we each have occasion to "count our blessings" and reflect upon what is most important in our lives. As you gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays and the New Year, I hope you take a moment to join me in giving thanks for the opportunity to work side-by-side with an incredible team of people. Whether you are at the bedside or in a volunteer clinic…in a lab or in a mobile health van…in front of a computer screen or screening for high blood pressure at a health fair….serving meals in a hospital cafeteria or in a neighborhood shelter…the gifts you bring to your organization every day are truly valued…and truly make a difference. Every day, in every way, you are a transforming, healing presence in the communities we are all privileged to serve. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Sponsors, and everyone here at Catholic Health East, please accept my best wishes for a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season, and a very happy New Year. Together, we look forward to meeting the challenges of 2007 and beyond.
Sincerely yours,
|
|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catholic Health East | About Us | Services | Employment | Regional Health Systems | Outreach | Publications | Contact Us | For CHE Members
Catholic Health East, 3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 100 |
| • | About Us |
| • | Mission and Values |
| • | History |
| • | Holy Memory, Faithful Action |
| • | Sponsorship Heritage |
| • | President's Welcome |
| • | Our Values in Practice |