Executive changes 11 WASH conference 12 Responding to Ebola 12 PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION
JULY 2026 VOLUME 42, NUMBER 7
Encyclical on AI calls for use of ethical discernment
ASSEMBLY 2026: UNITED FOR CHANGE
‘We must stand united’
At joyous gathering, ministry leaders call for partnerships, innovation, courage
By JULIE MINDA
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Photos by Jerry Naunheim Jr./©CHA
The use of artificial intelligence is having sweeping and profound impact on people around the world, and its influence will continue to increase significantly in the coming years. The technology could be used for great good or for great harm, according to Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical letter. The encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, was released May 25. The document says it is essential for the decision-makers who are guiding AI’s evolution to engage in comprehensive, ongoing ethical discernment to ensure the technology promotes human flourishing, rather than degrades it. Three ministry leaders say that while the pontiff did not directly address the implications of AI for healthcare beyond a couple short references, Magnifica Humanitas contains much wisdom that will be invaluable for the Catholic health ministry as it continues to grapple with understanding and implementing AI. Byron Yount, chief data and AI officer After three days of networking, brainstorming and inspiration, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, CHA president and CEO, and Joe Gage, 2026-2027 CHA board chairman and Bon Secours Mercy Health chief administrative officer, bring the 2026 Catholic Health Assembly in St. Louis to a jubilant close. By JULIE MINDA
Health systems build partnerships to bring lifesaving blood to patients at emergency scenes By VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN
If someone is bleeding profusely — perhaps from a motor vehicle crash, shooting or a hemorrhage — seconds count. Data shows that the chances of dying go up about 11% for every minute a blood transfusion is delayed when a patient is in hemorrhagic shock. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that 37% of trauma patients with severe bleeding could be saved if they got a quick transfusion. And the sooner they get blood into their bodies, the better their chances of survival even weeks after the incident, with some studies showing as much as a 60% mortality reduction. “You just don’t see those kind of numbers in medicine,” said Dr. Wesley Kyle, EMS medical director of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut. The hospital is a Continued on 10
Assembly attendants follow the spiritual labyrinth at the center of the Assembly’s sacred space. A guided meditation was part of the experience.
ST. LOUIS — Two years after last convening in-person as a ministry, hundreds of Catholic healthcare leaders converged in the Gateway City last month to reunite, share successes, learn about great progress the ministry is making in furthering its mission, understand potential threats and explore how best to proceed. The 2026 Catholic Health Assembly, with the theme “United for Change,” drew more than 500 attendees to the Marriott St. Louis Grand from June 2 to 4. CHA President and CEO Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, welcomed attendees by focusing on the need for the ministry to pursue the goal of empowering bold change to elevate human flourishing, the heart of CHA’s vision statement. Continued on 6
Catholic leaders explore how to advance the common good By JULIE MINDA
ST. LOUIS — The Catholic Church and its ministries are working hard to understand the needs of vulnerable people and respond in a holistic way. But how can the church respond effectively when it is facing significant barriers, opposition and
resistance? Several leaders of the church and its ministries examined this key question during a panel discussion at the 2026 Catholic Health Assembly. CHA President and CEO Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, moderated the session titled “United for Change: Catholic Leadership in Advancing Human Flourish-
ing and the Common Good.” The panelists were Archbishop John J. Kennedy, secretary for the disciplinary section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Steven P. Millies, professor of public theology and director of the Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago; and Continued on 4
CHECK OUT COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE AND PHOTOS OF ASSEMBLY SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS | PAGES 2-8