Catholic Health East: President's Letter

	Robert V. Stanek President and CEO

December, 2007

December is a special time for people of many faiths and ethnicities. Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus; Jews commemorate Hanukah, the Festival of Lights; many African-Americans observe Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrating family, community, and culture.

For Christians throughout the world, Christmas has many different meanings. Many of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend time with family and friends, remembering and reliving traditions and customs that have helped to shape our lives. It is a time to give thanks to God for everything that we have…as well as to remember those who are in need.

I recently came across the following Christmas vignette, Who Needs Me at Christmas?; I believe it epitomizes the true meaning of Christmas. It was written by a woman named Karen Church, and published in Ensign, a national Mormon magazine, in December 1980.

Next to the Christmas tree was not the girl's bike I'd wanted, but a secondhand boy's bike my father had repainted. Trying to hold back the tears, I thought, "At least I'll be able to tell the kids at school that I got something 'big.' " As a child I never quite got beyond shame and self to the true meaning of Christmas.

Later, as a teenager, I sang with a group, and Christmas was our busiest time. We sang at company parties, church parties, club parties-and I loved the glamour and the compliments. "This," I told myself, "is the real meaning and feeling of Christmas." I was wrong again.

Then one Christmas we decided to sing at the hospital. Each of us bought an inexpensive gift for a patient, and we sang privately to individuals who hadn't had any visitors. While we were singing, one of us would give the gift to that person.

All the patients seemed responsive except Edgar. He was an old man with tension, fear, and anxiety in his face. He wouldn't look at us at first, but after we sang a couple of songs, he started watching out of the corner of his eye. When I took the little present to him, he broke down and sobbed so hard his whole body shook. Then he said softly, "You're the only friend I have." None of us sang the rest of the song, only hummed it in very broken tones.

Christmas was never the same after that. I forgot all about the presents I never received or the places I never went. I still remember and try to re-create the feeling of peace I felt that year. And I would like to help my children understand the true meaning of Christmas, to know the joy I felt when a special child of God, sick, frightened, and alone, said, "You're the only friend I have."

Karen's powerful words, published 27 years ago, have meaning and impact today for us all. We have all chosen to work in a Catholic health ministry whose Core Values—Reverence for Each Person, Community, Justice, Commitment to Those Who Are Poor, Stewardship, Courage, and Integrity—are lived out every day to the patients and residents we touch, in the homeless outreach programs that we support, in the many senior services and programs for children and other community based initiatives that we operate, and in the community partnerships that we foster and nurture.

All of us are fortunate to be able to devote our lives to improving people's lives. And we know that some of those lives have very sad stories behind them. Illness. Loneliness. Abuse. Poverty.

That's why I am proud to shine a spotlight this Christmas on an initiative that more and more CHE facilities have gotten involved with over the last few years. We are urging all RHCs and JOAs to join with the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council to commemorate National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. Since 1990, this event has been held on or near the first day of winter to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember our homeless citizens who paid the ultimate price for our nation's failure to adequately address the issue.

According to recent statistics, mortality rates for homeless people are three times the rate for others, and life expectancy is only around 50 years. We all treat the homeless in our emergency rooms and our clinics and via our community outreach efforts, and we recognize the need to do more to call greater attention to the terrible conditions that they live under, in order to help find ways to make improvements.

Some of our RHCs who have homeless outreach programs, such as Pittsburgh Mercy Health System (Operation Safety Net), Lourdes Health System (Project H.O.P.E.) and Saint Joseph's Health System (MercyCare) - have actively supported National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day in the past. This year, the RHCs in the Philadelphia area, along with CHE's System Office, will participate in the Homeless Memorial Day Vigil planned for Thursday, December 20th from 4:30 - 5:30 PM at Philadelphia's City Hall. The ceremony will remember the homeless who passed away in 2007, and pray for those still living on the streets.

I urge all RHCs and JOAs to join us in our efforts to raise awareness about the problems faced by our nation's homeless population. Whether it's a moment of silence at your facility…or a collection for a local homeless support organization or food bank…or a candlelight vigil praying for your local homeless population…let's all do our part to help with this worthwhile cause. Let us all feel the joy that Karen Church so eloquently wrote about when she reached out to "a special child of God" - that lonely, elderly hospital patient - so many Christmases ago.

I wish you, your colleagues, and your families a warm, safe, and joyous holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for ministering to all those who seek our aid, and for being a transforming, healing presence in the communities we serve.

Sincerely yours,
Robert V. Stanek
President and Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Health East

Untitled President's Letter Archives:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

•	About Us
•	Mission and Values
•	History
•	Holy Memory, Faithful Action
•	Sponsorship Heritage
•	President's Welcome
•	Our Values in Practice