Bon Secours Mercy’s global reach 6 Executive changes 7 Meeting transplant need 8 PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION
JANUARY 2026 VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1
Compassionate care for mothers and babies
Trinity Health CEO reflects on 25-year legacy as system charges forward By JULIE MINDA
Patsy Welch, labor and delivery director at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa, Louisiana, part of FMOL Health, tends to a mother and her baby who are part of the hospital’s Rise Up program. The program is the first of its kind in the state.
Rise Up program treats pregnant women with substance use disorders
Mike Slubowski was present — albeit in a different role than today — at the very start of Trinity Health 25 years ago through the consolidation of Holy Cross Health System and Mercy Health Services. Trinity Health expanded greatly over the past quarter century through merger and organic growth. It has more than tripled its revenue and become one of the nation’s largest systems. Slubowski, who had been on Mercy Health Services’ executive team before that 2000 ceremony, remained a Trinity Health leader until 2010, when he departed to head SCL Health. He returned to Trinity Health in 2017 and two years later became president and CEO. He spoke to Catholic Health World recently about the system’s evolution and how it is positioning itself for what is ahead. His responses have been edited for length and clarity.
By VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN
A camera in the neonatal intensive care unit at CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio captures the scene as new mom Candice Chapman sits with her baby, Casen Venegas.
NICUs find that enabling families to see babies on livestream improves bonds, eases stress By JULIE MINDA
When Parker Johnson was born prematurely in December 2024 at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he was just 3 pounds, 3 ounces, and needed immediate medical intervention.
The clinical team rushed him to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Parker’s mom, Stephanie Johnson, was admitted to an inpatient unit with high blood pressure. Johnson couldn’t visit Parker in the NICU because she was tethered to a magnesium drip. Continued on 4
Rachel Hernandez hit rock bottom. The rural Louisiana woman had grown addicted to heroin over eight years. She lost her job, got cut off from family, had no phone or vehicle, and got evicted along with her boyfriend from their apartment. She was also three months pregnant. She wasn’t sure she could go into rehab, because she wasn’t sure any programs would accept pregnant women. She was worried about going to the doctor, because she feared being tested for drug use and arrested. She worried about going cold turkey, because she and the baby would go into withdrawal. Within a few weeks of finding out she was pregnant, Hernandez was arrested and jailed on drug and related charges. From there, she was taken to Our Lady of Continued on 5
Ascension Florida expands navigator program for new and expectant mothers who are marginalized. Page 5
Trinity Health President and CEO Mike Slubowski
Thinking back over the last 25 years, what has meant the most to you? A favorite memory is when I was privileged to sit in the session with our sponsors, the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Detroit, when they formed Trinity Health. We Continued on 7
CommonSpirit sees payoff from standardizing quality and safety, making everyone responsible By JULIE MINDA
How does one of the nation’s largest health systems ensure that quality and safety are the top priority for its 160,000 employees and its 25,000-plus physicians and advanced practice clinicians? And how
does it make sure that all those associates are pursuing this priority in a standardized way at the system’s approximately 2,300 care sites in 24 states? That is the formidable challenge CommonSpirit Health has been tackling since the system’s creation in 2019.
The system has approached the problem in many ways, including making it clear that every staff member is responsible for quality and safety; having a formal structure for holding people at nearly every level accountable; and having processes in place that allow all staff members to determine
best quality and safety practices and spread them across the organization. This comprehensive strategy is producing documented improvements and earning accolades, says Dr. Phillip Chang, who joined CommonSpirit in summer 2025 as Continued on 6
2 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD January 2026
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Treasures rediscovered
Big expansion
AI and human flourishing
Workers at a Providence hospital in Spokane, Washington, found three religious statues that had been hidden behind a wall for safekeeping and then forgotten.
A CommonSpirit Health hospital in Bakersfield, California, opens a new tower that more than doubles patient beds to 188 and increases intensive care unit capacity.
A founder of the Coalition for Health AI discusses his efforts to develop guidelines and best practices for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in health care.
Blueprint guides mental care at FMOL school-based centers By VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN
After Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy in 2019, he and his family started The Joe Burrow Foundation to help others — because, according to its tagline, “Everybody has a responsibility to do good.” The foundation focuses on food insecurity and child mental health issues in Louisiana and Ohio, where Burrow played football in high school and where he now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals. Community and business leaders in both states helped start the foundation. Last summer, the foundation launched a new training and consulting program called The Burrow Blueprint to help Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health school-based health centers in East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana address the mental health needs of students. The centers are part of FMOL Health. The centers are the first users of the blueprint, which was developed with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The blueprint provides education and training for school-based health professionals to identify mental health issues; a framework for peer-to-peer support; and guidance to navigate logistical, operational and administrative challenges to providing mental health care. It also streamlines access to prescription medication. Catholic Health World spoke with Emily Stevens, senior director of operations at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health in Baton Rouge, about how The Burrow Blueprint is helping caregivers and students. Her
responses have been edited for length and clarity. Tell me more about the centers and what they do. Health Care Centers in Schools is a nonprofit subsidiary of FMOL Health, formerly Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. HCCS has been a part of the FMOL Health family for almost Stevens 15 years. Today, we have grown to seven school-based health centers across East Baton Rouge Parish — four in high schools and three in middle schools. It’s a wonderful partnership and access opportunity. Some of the children we serve wouldn’t access either physical or mental health services if we weren’t present on their school campus, for a variety of social barriers. We see high rates of behavioral health challenges, but that’s not unique to our community. How does The Burrow Blueprint help providers manage mental health issues? It has provided education and technical assistance for our providers and team to develop the tools and be successful from both a clinical and operational perspective, and all the programming is free thanks to The Joe Burrow Foundation. The Burrow Blueprint uses an integrated care model. Every child that comes to our health center is screened using evidence-based screening tools. Based on that screening, children may go into a different
tier for further evaluation and potentially treatment. Our clinicians have been trained to complete comprehensive diagnostic assessments and initiate evidence-based treatments in partnership with the parent/ caregiver. The providers have weekly case consultation calls with a fellowship-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist. Have you seen results so far? We experienced a 6% increase in our behavioral health visits in the first two months of implementation. To give you some context, we completed over 5,000 behavioral health visits in 2024. A 6% increase in the first two months is pretty significant, and I anticipate it will continue. A new Louisiana law requires schools to offer mental health screenings to all students. There are going to be children who need further treatment after screening. It’s beautiful timing as the on-campus providers will be well prepared to care for children in need of services. How does this tool help you fulfill your mission as a Catholic health care ministry? Our mission, in a succinct form, Scan to read is to serve those most an extended version of in need, and to meet this story. patients where they are. That’s what we’re doing. For somebody who doesn’t go to the doctor regularly or maybe would be fearful to access services, we’re right there with them, no barriers to access. We feel like that’s serving our mission in the highest way.
Bishop, ministry leader advise: ‘Collaborate, communicate, cultivate’ By JULIE MINDA
In most cases in the U.S., bishops are responsible for ensuring that the ministry facilities in their dioceses maintain a Catholic identity and further Jesus’ healing ministry. The Catholic health facilities, in turn, are responsible for reporting to the bishops how they are fulfilling their charter. For this reciprocal relationship to work well, the bishops and leaders of the ministry facilities in their dioceses must build and maintain strong partnerships. This can be both a challenge and an opportunity. During a Dec. 9 CHA webinar, “Reflections on Bishop Olson Creating Positive Ecclesial Relationships,” Bishop Michael Olson and ministry leader Mark Repenshek offered tips on how to make relationships between bishops and ministry leaders as Repenshek healthy and fruitful as possible. “We need dialogue about how Catholic health facilities are carrying out the ministry — we need discussion,” said Bishop Olson, who heads the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.
While there no longer are ministry facilities in his diocese, he frequently interacts with Catholic health care leaders as chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Health Care Issues. Repenshek, who is Ascension vice president of health care ethics and church relations, said it is essential for ministry leaders who work with bishops to have a comprehensive understanding of bishops’ roles and to demonstrate a deep conviction “about what the ministry is about and why it is important and needed.”
Shifting dynamics Bishop Olson noted that while the formal connections between the church and Catholic health facilities originally were maintained by the bishops and members of the religious congregations that founded the facilities, that dynamic has changed dramatically. With the presence of clergy declining and the lay apostolate holding increasing sponsorship authority, bishops are working primarily with lay leadership in the ministry. He and Repenshek said that since bishops and ministry leaders are individuals, there will be much variation across the ministry in how well they all understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. Repen-
shek said a great place to start is with the USCCB resource “The Pastoral Role of the Diocesan Bishop in Catholic Health Care Ministry” and the accompanying CHA study guide.
Five principles Bishop Olson and Repenshek shared five key principles for creating and sustaining positive relationships with bishops and their staffs: Never surprise your bishop Ask the right questions Foster an atmosphere of mutual understanding and collaboration Get to know your bishop before you need your bishop Understand the episcopal landscape Repenshek said ministry leaders’ focus should be on communicating openly and transparently with bishops and building trust. This may mean erring on the side of overcommunication. When in doubt, talking it out is the Scan to read best way to go. an extended There is always version of common ground to build this story. on, Bishop Olson said, noting, “We believe in Catholic health care.”
Upcoming Events from The Catholic Health Association
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President, Central Region Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis
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Chief Mission Officer Providence St. Joseph Health
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Music therapy benefits babies, families and staff at Providence hospital NICU By JULIE MINDA
A new music therapy program in the neonatal intensive care unit of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in California is helping to address struggles common to babies, their families and staff in the unit, in a low-intervention, evidencebased way. Music therapist Jenna Marcovitz helped establish the program and now runs it. “We’re celebrating the family, and promoting the family’s bonding,” she says. “Families can feel nervous, but we provide a safe space for them. They can sing, hold their baby and celebrate their connection.” Marcovitz is a music therapist at multiple health care facilities in Southern California. Using a two-year, $100,000 gift from the Chase Foundation, she designed the program in which music therapist Audrey Creevey visits Cedars-Sinai Tarzana’s 21-bed, level 3 NICU most Fridays. The hospital is part of Providence St. Joseph Health. Creevey can provide music therapy to support babies at almost any age and level of acuity and at almost any point in their
Livestream cameras From page 1
Thankfully, the hospital has livestreaming cameras that enable parents and other loved ones to log in to view their babies in the NICU. “He was sleeping most of the time, so we’re mostly watching a sleeping baby,” Johnson laughs. But she says the cameras “gave me the peace of mind just to know, hey, I can pull this up at any time.” Mother and son were both discharged in early 2025. “Every hospital should have a NICU, and then every NICU should have these,” Johnson says of the cameras. Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford’s NICU is among a growing number that have installed livestreaming cameras in bassinettes to allow nearly around-the-clock viewing of the hospitalized babies. For parents or family members who are unable to be with their infant, the cameras allow them “to feel more involved right from the start, making them partners in the process of giving their hospitalized infant the best start to life,” says Elishia Gifford, NICU and nursery manager for Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, which has 22 cameras — one for each bed space and an additional six mobile cameras.
Across oceans A 2021 article in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing says the first virtual NICU visit using a video phone took place in 1983. Usage has been increasing since, and “now live-stream virtual visitation services is gaining in popularity,” the article says. Dr. Pratik Parikh, assistant medical director for the NICU at CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio, says it is hard on parents of NICU babies to be separated from them. “Parents often tell us they feel torn between work and the hospital, between caring for older children at home and being with their newborn,” Parikh says. “We wanted to bridge that gap and offer them peace of mind.” The hospital’s NicView camera system allows relatives “to know that their child is safe and cared for, even when they cannot be physically present,” he adds. With dollars from the new CHRISTUS Children’s Initiative fund, CHRISTUS Children’s installed cameras in each of its 60 bassinets. Parents get a log-in code that they can share with loved ones that provides access to the secure livestream. “One of the most beautiful surprises has been the way NicView has connected
time in the NICU. Marcovitz explains, “We provide a holistic approach. It is nonpharmacological relief of symptoms as well as developmental support.” During her Friday visits, Creevey first speaks with the unit’s staff about who to prioritize. She then meets with the babies and
their families, incorporating different music therapy techniques based on the need. She plays lullabies or rhythmic patterns, or leads parent-involved musical activities. She also provides psychosocial support, helping the families process their feelings about their experiences with their babies in the NICU. Marcovitz is building evidence-based
measures into the program. Staff are documenting the music’s impact on the babies’ heart rates, oxygen saturation rate and respiration rate and noting observable physical responses. Dr. Roxanne Arcinue is the Cedars-Sinai Tarzana NICU medical Scan to read director, vice chief of its an extended department of pediat- version of this rics and an attending story. neonatologist. She says the music therapy program aligns well with the NICU’s philosophy of providing familycentered care and using the least amount of intervention possible to achieve care goals. Arcinue says the music therapy is reinforcing the parent-baby bond and empowering parents. Marcovitz says nurses and other staff are reporting a feeling of peace as they hear the music in the unit. “It’s a win-win, the music has an immediate positive effect on the nervous system, it provides relaxation and a positive emotional response” for babies, their families and staff, Marcovitz says.
families across oceans and continents,” Parikh says. “We’ve had grandparents in other countries, sometimes thousands of miles away, able to see their grandchild in the NICU for the very first time. For many, travel wasn’t possible due to health, cost, or even global circumstances, but this technology gives them that moment of joy and connection.” Three other CHRISTUS Health NICUs have similar technology.
mounted last summer in each of the 24 bassinets in the NICU. The donor funded six more cameras that staff can move as necessary, such as if medical equipment temporarily blocks the bassinet camera.
babies and their parents. Petrich-Kennedy notes there is evidence that moms who pump breast milk for their babies while viewing the livestream have a better yield than those who don’t.
‘Well taken care of’ There are challenges to deploying livestream cameras. Facilities staff have to work with vendors to install the equipment. Hardware and software can present issues. It takes time to train staff on the cameras’ use and on how to show a revolving door of families how to access the livestream. Families must agree not to post any images from the livestream online for privacy reasons. The Journal of Pediatric Nursing analysis flags additional concerns: Livestream viewers may become hypervigilant, nearly obsessively watching with concern. Also, viewers may be distressed if their baby cries and they cannot comfort them. The journal article notes that some nurses report increased calls from parents with worries about what they see on the livestream. Burke acknowledges that some St. Vincent Children’s NICU staff were initially wary, fearing that the cameras would add to their workload. But, he says, staff have found that the upsides of the cameras overwhelmingly outweigh the downsides. He says with families having nearly constant access to the livestream, there is increased comfort and trust. “When you see your baby snuggled up, warm and content, it makes you feel better, and you can see they’re well taken care of,” he says. He notes that there is a strong correlation between family trust of the clinical team, satisfaction with care, and likelihood to follow discharge instructions. While it is too early to have hard evidence at St. Vincent Children’s, Burke believes using the cameras could result in improved outcomes for
Family-centered care Petrich-Kennedy says the livestreaming supports Providence’s goal of providing family-centered care. She says Providence NICUs have seen improved communication and relationships between staff and the babies’ families. Staff say families do not call them as often when they can see the babies on the livestream, and that frees the clinical staff to focus on care delivery. Gifford says at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford’s NICU, the livestreaming capabilities have reduced the distress and anxiety parents often feel when separated from their babies. At CHRISTUS Children’s, Parikh says, “nurses and physicians see how much calmer and more connected parents are when they can use NicView. It doesn’t replace face-to-face conversations, but it adds another layer of trust and partnership. “Clinicians feel it strengthens communication because parents come in feeling more engaged and reassured,” he says. Parikh adds that NICU staff have noticed that families who use the livestream tend to engage more actively in discussions about their babies’ care. “They feel informed and involved, which is exactly what we want,” he says. “Most importantly, babies thrive when their families are connected and emotionally supported.” “It’s one more way we are working to ensure that every baby in our care is surrounded not just by excellent medical treatment but by the love and connection of their family,” he adds.
Music therapist Audrey Creevey, right, visits the neonatal intensive care unit about weekly at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in California. Research and anecdotal evidence show that music can improve babies’ vital signs and outcomes.
Health equity Elizabeth Petrich-Kennedy, chief nursing informatics officer for Providence St. Joseph Health, has helped oversee the deployment of livestreaming cameras to NICUs throughout that seven-state system. Since 2016, 13 Providence NICUs have installed cameras from either NicView or AngelEye Health. Some of those devices allow two-way messaging between NICU staff and the infants’ parents. With no reimbursement source, the cameras usually are funded by philanthropy. Petrich-Kennedy says the NICUs have seen an almost limitless array of loved ones helped by the cameras: parents who must return to work after exhausting their leave, mothers admitted to a different hospital or unit than their babies, loved ones deployed in the military, and people who are too ill to visit the hospital. Petrich-Kennedy says offering this connection is a matter of health equity for Providence, since marginalized families often have the most barriers to maintaining an ongoing presence with their hospitalized babies. Families are universally grateful for the technology, says Jim Burke, NICU manager of HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital. An anonymous donor approached the Green Bay, Wisconsin, hospital to fund cameras
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Ascension Florida expands navigator program for expectant and new moms By JULIE MINDA
Ascension Florida is using grant funding from the Florida Department of Health to expand a Maternal Health Navigator program. The goal is to improve health outcomes for moms and their babies. The focus is on marginalized families with pressing socioeconomic needs. Through the program, navigators in Ascension Florida’s Jacksonville and Pensacola markets offer the women wraparound services to address barriers they face to having a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Ascension Florida is offering the navigation assistance at no cost to the moms from pregnancy through their baby’s first year of life. Ascension Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Syed Jafri says in addition to those navigation services, the program “is dedicated to educating communities about the importance of early prenatal care and consistent prenatal appointment Jafri attendance. We are partnering with external organizations within these communities to strengthen our collective advocacy for patients and eliminate barriers to care.”
Socioeconomic impacts According to a June 30, 2024, report in the journal Cureus, there are worse infant mortality rates in Florida counties with poor socioeconomic indicators than in those with average or good indicators. The study’s authors wrote that “many factors can contribute to high infant mortality rates in certain counties, including income inequality, access to and quality of health care, race/ethnicity, obesity, and disadvantaged socioeconomic status.”
New mother Latasha McCullers visits with social worker Kate Peabody at Ascension Sacred Heart Maternity and Women’s Center in Pensacola, Florida. McCullers and her newborn, Nova, received specialized care through a program that Peabody is connected with. Ascension Florida is expanding that program by adding a telehealth component and increasing the catchment area for eligible patients.
Long concerned about the impact of such social determinants on mom and baby health outcomes, Ascension Florida’s Pensacola market started its Maternal Health Navigator program in 2021. Under that initiative, navigator Kate Peabody identifies socioeconomic needs of expectant and new moms and their babies and works with community partners to address them. Based on the success of that program, Ascension Florida secured grants from the Florida Department of Health to expand the Pensacola initiative and to replicate it in Jacksonville. The health care provider received a three-year, $3 million grant for use in Pensacola and a three-year, $7.8 million grant for Jacksonville.
Pensacola and Jacksonville markets The Ascension Sacred Heart subsys-
Rise Up program From page 1
the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa, Louisiana, a move that potentially saved her and her daughter’s life. Handcuffed and wearing a black-andwhite striped jail uniform, she sat nervously in an exam room. “(The doctor) walked in with a big old smile on his face, and he shook my hand, and he sat down, and he started talking to me like any other patient,” Hernandez said. “And he just created this really, really comfortable, safe place for me.” Hernandez became part of the hospital’s Rise Up program, the first of its kind in Louisiana. The program started in 2020, the year she came to the hospital. It aims to curb opioid addiction in pregnant women. Of about 20 babies who are delivered at the hospital each month, two or three typically are addicted to drugs and need treatment, said Patsy Welch, labor and delivery director at the hospital and the champion of the Rise Up program. The hospital is part of Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based FMOL Health, formerly Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Welch said she knew the hospital couldn’t turn away from the problem. “Because whether you want to punish the mom or not, or whatever your thoughts are towards mom, you have a baby here that you could possibly give a better life, a better outcome, and you can also help the mom with treatment and help her get back on track,” she said.
Leading cause of death Since 2018, accidental opioid overdose has been the leading cause of pregnancyassociated death in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. A department effort called Project M.O.M., or Maternal Overdose Mortality, launched
Rachel Hernandez and her daughter, Raedynn, were part of the hospital’s Rise Up program after Raedynn was born in 2020. Now Hernandez helps other women with substance use disorders.
in May with a goal of reducing pregnancyassociated opioid overdose deaths by 80% within three years. Welch has spoken at multiple events about the Rise Up program and the hospital has hosted people from other hospitals interested in the program. Hernandez last year spoke at the first Project M.O.M. Summit in Baton Rouge. Hernandez shared her experiences with the Rise Up program, considered a model for the state. “They just showed me so much compassion, and that meant a lot when I didn’t even have faith in myself,” Hernandez said. “It really made a huge impact on me and my daughter and my recovery.”
Detoxing mother and baby Hernandez’s daughter, Raedynn, was born in December 2020. Both mother and infant had to detox. Dr. Ronak Shah, who had treated Hernandez so kindly at their first visit, had prepared her for how Raedynn would behave and informed her when her baby needed morphine.
tem includes five hospitals in Pensacola and surrounding northwest Florida communities, and the Ascension St. Vincent’s subsystem includes four hospitals in Jacksonville and surrounding northeast Florida communities. Using the grant dollars, Ascension Sacred Heart is building out its program to include a social worker, patient navigator and program supervisor. Ascension St. Vincent’s has the same staffing. Prior to the program’s July 1 launch, all the new hires completed training modules on their roles. This included instruction on providing culturally sensitive care to ensure they can effectively support patients from diverse backgrounds, says Jafri. Under the program, Ascension Sacred Heart and Ascension St. Vincent’s conduct a comprehensive assessment of all expectant
“They didn’t make me feel like I didn’t deserve to know what was going on with her, because of what we had been through,” said Hernandez. “They kept me very informed through the process.” The two were in the hospital for about a week, and Hernandez continued on the road of her own recovery. Like other women in the program, she took part in medication-assisted therapy, or MAT, getting an opioid analog to address withdrawal symptoms without creating a high. This is considered safer than if a woman tries to quit cold turkey on her own. MAT is given through a partnership with the Louisiana State University Rural Family Medicine program, which also trains residents on how to treat mothers with substance use disorders. Authorities put Hernandez on probation for her charges and terminated it after she successfully completed a drug court program, she said.
Putting mom at the center For supporting babies experiencing withdrawal symptoms, Our Lady of the Angels is the only hospital in the state to use an approach called Eat, Sleep and Console. The approach relies on a function-based assessment of an infant’s ability to eat, sleep and be consoled using interventions like skin-to-skin contact, a low-stimulation environment, and breastfeeding. This minimizes the need for medication and empowers caregivers. “It puts the mom at the front and center of the care,” Welch said. “She understands her part. And we also encourage them to breastfeed, because if they are complying with their treatment regimen, then the medication goes to the baby through the breast milk, and it helps with their withdrawal systems as well.” Rise Up also provides patients with counseling services and access to social workers. With that support, as well as support from the state’s division of family
and new moms to evaluate their risk factors and barriers to care. Using the results, the Ascension Florida systems identify patients who are at heightened risk for adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes. Those women receive a referral to connect with the navigator program. Over virtual connections and inperson, the navigators talk with the patients to determine their needs and connect them to wraparound services, including housing, food and transportation. The navigators also ensure the women have the medical devices they need. They also can connect the women with dietitians, lactation experts and behavioral health providers. The navigators focus on health literacy and patient education throughout this process. The navigators also conduct outreach, educating community members on prenatal and postnatal care. They partner with community organizations to increase social services available to moms in need and they advocate for their patients. Jafri says the program is tracking the health outcomes of moms enrolled in the Maternal Health Navigator program and of their babies to monitor results and make improvements. Among the measures tracked are premature birth rate, babies’ birth weight, and incidence of health complications for moms and babies. In Jacksonville, the navigators work closely with a maternal health initiative, Brighter Beginnings. That free education program is offered by Ascension St. Vincent’s faith community nursing team to expectant and new moms. Jafri says of the Maternal Health Navigator effort, “This collaboration strengthens our ability to deliver comprehensive maternal health services and address barriers to care.” jminda@chausa.org
services and other community partners, families are able to bring their babies home sooner, Welch said. Welch said the patients stay in the program as long as needed, and follow up with the MAT clinic if needed, and many newborns are followed in the pediatric clinic, and are closely monitored and referred to resources if needed. In the past, some babies would stay an average of six weeks at the hospital while detoxing, compared to an average of seven to eight days now, Welch said. About 100 women have gone through the Rise Up program. “We get patients from all walks of life,” Welch said. “We may get them from the jail. They just come to us for care. “It aligns with our mission: to help the most vulnerable, to help those most in need, extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” She hopes other Louisiana hospitals can replicate Rise Up.
Grateful for help Hernandez now lives in Ponchatoula, about 48 miles east of Baton Rouge, and works as a peer support specialist for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative, making videos and hosting seminars about maternal health. She volunteers with Our Lady of the Angels as a patient partner for other women with addictions. As for Raedynn, she is now 5 and in a pre-kindergarten program. She’s a smart little girl who keeps Hernandez on her toes. “I couldn’t imagine not having her,” Hernandez said. “I couldn’t imagine her being taken from me as soon as she was born, and just her being behind a glass window. They just kept telling me: You’re the medicine. You are the medicine. And she was mine, like, she is mine. It’s full circle: like me, her, and the hospital staff. And we all work together.” vhahn@chausa.org
6 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD January 2026
Bon Secours Mercy Health opens hospital in Ireland, business center in Philippines By JULIE MINDA
With the fall opening of a new replacement hospital in Ireland as well as a business services center in the Philippines, Bon Secours Mercy Health has expanded its global footprint. Bon Secours Mercy Health as well as its legacy systems and founding sponsors always have had a global presence. The system is building on that precedent in a way that furthers its mission, improves its efficiency and effectiveness, and allows for innovation, say Bon Secours Mercy Health’s David Cannady and Dr. Wael Haidar. Cannady, who is chief strategy officer, says that the health system’s growth overseas is in line with its focus since its 2019 formation on expansion and revenue diversification. Haidar, who is president of clinical operations, adds that overseas and domestically the health system has committed to “invest in meeting the access and care needs of the communities that we serve. Our shared services platform allows us to leverage our size and capabilities to provide efficiencies on a global scale.” The health system has 47 hospitals in six U.S. states and Ireland as well as its operations in the Philippines. It employs about 60,000 people.
Midwest Ireland hospital The hospital that Bon Secours Mercy Health opened in early October is the first new acute care hospital in Ireland in two decades. Built at a cost of more than $246 million, the private, nonprofit Bon Secours Hospital — Limerick replaces an outmoded facility elsewhere in the city that Bon Secours purchased in 2017. This new site has 99 inpatient beds, a four-bed special observation unit, 26 endoscopy recovery bays with three procedure rooms, a six-bed ophthalmology unit, a 27-bed surgical unit, a 20-bay day procedures unit with three procedure rooms, a catheterization lab and eight interventional cardiology recovery bays, four operating theaters and a 10-bay hospital assessment unit. The campus also has an ambulatory care hub that provides cardiology, vascular,
Quality and safety From page 1
senior vice president and chief quality officer. Prior to Chang’s arrival, Tracy Sklar, system senior vice president of quality, and Roy Boukidjian, system senior vice president of patient safety, led quality and safety initiatives for the system. Chang says of the steps Chang the system has taken: “This has been all hands on deck to move the needle, and it’s hard, diligent, detailed work.” He says the work is not just about statistics, it is about real people. “And, that’s what I love about CommonSpirit, it’s always about the patient,” he says.
Bottom-up and top-town When Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health merged to form CommonSpirit, they had very different geographic footprints, operational profiles and cultures. Since the merger, the system has sought to strike a balance between centralizing these disparate operations and encouraging standardization while fostering innovation and a sense of ownership at the local level. Chang explains that from a practical standpoint, striking this balance has meant that much of the system’s work is driven at a regional level. But, especially regarding quality and safety work, Chang says, the system seeks to allow independence so its local
generally has a service-oriented culture that would align well with the people-centered culture of Bon Secours Mercy Health. Incidentally, the Filipino population is nearly 80% Catholic. The Bon Secours sisters once had a mission presence in the country, and Bon Secours Mercy Health’s Global Ministries provides aid there now.
Bon Secours Mercy Health has opened this new replacement hospital in Limerick, Ireland. The health system operates a network of facilities in five Irish communities.
neurology and other services. Haidar says the old hospital had fewer beds and was incapable of offering complex services. He notes that the public health system has significant patient waiting lists, prompting many Limerick residents to leave the area to seek care. He says the new facility “addresses gaps in inpatient beds and diagnostic and treatment services in cardiology and neurology” in midwestern Ireland. Haidar says the new facility “marks a significant advancement in health care infrastructure. It represents a comprehensive redesign and expansion — not merely a relocation.” The hospital features an environmentally friendly design with sustainable materials. The facility has energyefficient lighting and air conditioning and the campus has a charging station for electric vehicles. With this larger, more advanced facility, Bon Secours Mercy Health is doubling its Limerick-area workforce to about 600. Bon Secours Hospital — Limerick is part of the Bon Secours Ireland subsystem. That subsystem also has acute care hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Tralee and a long-term care facility in Cork. Bon Secours Ireland is putting in place an electronic health record to connect the sites. Bon Secours Ireland traces its origins to 1861, when the Bon Secours sisters
expanded their ministry beyond France into Ireland.
facilities can develop and tailor approaches that best meet their needs. He says the system also has the infrastructure in place to replicate the best of those approaches. Some of CommonSpirit’s protocols, practices and infrastructure promote this bottom-up, top-down movement of ideas, Chang says. For one, CommonSpirit has staff members at the national, regional, market and facility level who focus solely on quality and safety. There is a platform for them to share their work and to collaborate. At the same time, leadership is held accountable for quality and safety outcomes, including by the CommonSpirit board and local facility boards — whether or not those leaders have “quality” or “safety” in their titles, says Chang. The boards use benchmarking to ensure consistency in how they evaluate these leaders on quality and safety measures. He notes that up until now, much of the focus on standardization and innovation in quality and safety has involved inpatient care. Plans call for CommonSpirit to continue to focus on improvements in the ambulatory care environment, building on that work. Also, the health system plans to conduct a detailed analysis of how patients flow through service lines. Analysts will look at how consistent quality and safety are at each step.
multiple academic medical centers, including Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, and Phoenix; and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. CommonSpirit’s network also includes other types of training and educational sites. He says having this strong academic bent to its network enables CommonSpirit to involve researchers in building an evidence base around quality and safety protocols and to involve residents from the very start of their careers in incorporating the best quality and safety practices into their daily work. Many of these residents then remain at CommonSpirit facilities and spread what they’ve learned.
Academic rigor Chang notes that CommonSpirit’s quality and safety work benefits from the fact that the system owns or has affiliations with
Manila business services center Bon Secours Mercy Health opened its business services center in Manila on Oct. 1. The location provides back-end corporate functions for the entire system, including human resources, financial services, supply chain management and logistical services. The site has a staff of 200 associates. The health system renovated an office building to house the business services center, and the space will allow for future growth. Cannady explains that since the health system’s formation, it has looked for ways to standardize how it delivers care, including by centralizing some of its business functions. It engaged EY, formerly Ernst & Young, to evaluate where to locate a service center. That consultancy recommended Manila, where Bon Secours Mercy Health already had a service center supporting its information technology subsidiary, Nordic Global. In addition, Bon Secours Mercy Health has a call center in Manila in partnership with the Teleperformance company. The consultants said many international businesses have operations in Manila, many residents of the city speak English and are highly educated, and the Philippines
Health equity The work is having a measurable positive impact on patients’ access to care and on outcomes. Many patients have bettercontrolled blood pressure, improved diabetes control and fewer complications because of this work. CommonSpirit data also shows that its facilities have increased their mental health screenings. This in part resulted in more detection of mood disorders among new moms. Also, mortality rates have decreased generally across CommonSpirit for heart failure, stroke, and percutaneous coronary intervention, or what was previously known as angioplasty. CommonSpirit also has received strong quality and safety scores from The Leapfrog Group and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s received awards for
Life-altering careers Cannady notes that Bon Secours Mercy Health’s board and its ministerial juridic person, Bon Secours Mercy Ministries, engaged in a thorough discernment process before opening the business services center in Manila, weighing the anticipated benefits and risks. He says they prioritized ensuring that employees in both the U.S. and the Philippines would be treated with respect. This included providing support to displaced U.S. employees — many of whom were transferred to other positions in Bon Secours Mercy Health. It also included making sure that wages and conditions in the Philippines honored the workers’ dignity and were not exploitive. Cannady says Bon Secours Mercy Health has been well received in Manila, with local officials warmly welcoming the system during an opening ceremony. A local priest blessed the facility during that event. Bon Secours Mercy Health’s Teleperformance call center in Manila does scheduling for U.S. primary care facilities. When the health system ran that function domestically, it had a 60% employee turnover rate. It’s been able to keep a more stable employee base in the Philippines. Cannady notes that at the Manila business center, the jobs can be life-altering for employees. These are top careers that are great for families, he says. He says branching out overseas gives Bon Secours Mercy Health access to a new workforce, one that is integrating well into the system. jminda@chausa.org
International aid
Bon Secours Mercy Health’s Global Ministries empowers people overseas to address pressing local needs. chausa.org/chw
quality and safety accomplishments from the American Hospital Association, the American Heart Association and the Joint Commission. Chang says that some of the greatest results of the standardization and innovation in quality and safety have been in health equity. He notes that CommonSpirit has been standardizing its electronic health record and enhancing its data analysis work, and this has helped the system bolster its approach to health equity in quality and safety. He explains that CommonSpirit monitors its care delivery and outcome measures, looking for statistics that point to unequal health access or results. Staff investigate those aberrations and address them. The goal is to ensure consistent, highquality care and strong health outcomes across its patient populations. He emphasizes that taking this comprehensive, systematic approach to eliminating disparities gets to the core of CommonSpirit’s mission. “We say we will care for those with and without means,” Chang says. “We don’t abandon anyone. That sets all of us in Catholic health care apart, and it speaks to what we at CommonSpirit Health are doing as quality and safety leaders.” jminda@chausa.org
Achieving equity CommonSpirit Health markets succeed in a challenge from leadership to identify and end health disparities. chausa.org/chw
January 2026 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD 7
Slubowski From page 1
actually had a solemn ceremony, where we lit candles, and the formation of the ministerial juridic person was brought to light. And the sisters spoke about being filled with outrageous hope, and they had very high aspirations for the ministry. Some of the things that excited me most over the 25 years were, first of all, forming a unified culture. Mission, vision and values were constructed and a common culture supporting that mission, vision and values has come to life. And, then, we’ve seen growth. When Trinity Health originally formed our revenue was maybe $7 billion and now it’s over $25 billion. We’ve brought other partners in — both religious sponsors that have become part of the public juridic person plus some freestanding organizations that share our values have joined the organization. The thing that is really important about being a system is the value of leveraging your skill, learning, innovation and scale; and how you add those elements to what you do, to lift all boats across the system. What are some of the things you are most excited about for Trinity Health as you look ahead? We do a balanced system scorecard, and we break it into four categories: purpose or mission effectiveness; people, which is both our caregivers and the patients we serve; portfolio, which is our mix of services; and then performance, which is financial and the clinical measures of success. So, I would say I am excited that every year we raise the bar on the measures on our scorecard and we continue to improve quality, safety, the care experience and our stewardship work. Additionally, with our community benefits — which we call community impact reporting — we go beyond what the IRS
“While I know there’s a lot of controversy about artificial intelligence right now, I truly believe that it will transform care delivery in a good way.” accepts. For example, in fiscal year 2025, we did $2.9 billion of community benefit, which is about 11% of our revenue. We are very blessed to be able to give that kind of support back to our communities. I’m also excited about the fact that we’ve continued to make a big investment in our common platforms. In March next year when Loyola comes up on a new version of our electronic health record platform, what we call TogetherCare Powered by Epic, we’ll be the largest concurrent user organization of Epic in the country. I think enabling technology to support care delivery is a really important part of our focus, and it’s making a difference for the people we serve. Another thing I’m really excited about is our work to support our caregivers and our people. We’re training 6,000 frontline leaders in being more effective leaders and supporting their people. Unless (our employees) are healthy, engaged, informed and empowered, it’s pretty hard to take quality and safety and the care experience to the next level. And, I’m excited that we have really been putting a lot of energy into growing what we call our community division: our physician medical groups, our home care and hospice operations, our PACE program — we’re the largest not-for-profit PACE provider in the country — and our freestanding ambulatory surgery centers where we are expanding greatly in partnership with our physicians. This work is focused a lot on what we call asset light growth. Rather than building big brick and mortar (facilities), our focus is more about facilities that are closer to patients and members in the communities.
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These facilities are smaller, focused and use technology to support them there. Where care is growing is in the home, virtual and in medical offices. And then there is also the work we do with our community health workers out in the community, like helping people manage chronic conditions. What are some things Trinity Health is doing to reposition itself for the challenges it is facing in today’s environment? We estimate the impact of government changes in policy and funding, and some of the Medicare cuts that are occurring will reduce our revenue by $1.5 billion. And that is on top of the gap we have to close every year — the difference between inflation and revenue increases we get that are also more than $1 billion. So it’s about not only focusing on the growth of our community-based work, but also about how we redesign what we are doing internally with that beginner’s mindset, lowering our administrative and support costs and looking at alternative ways to deliver services. How do we optimize our service lines? How do we become more efficient? How do we further leverage our common platforms to lower the cost of care? How do we aggressively manage our suppliers of services? I’ve written about the fact that when you look at big tech, big pharma, medical device suppliers, insurers — all the inputs into our system — their revenue is our cost. And, they’re all public companies with higher earnings requirements than we have as a not-for-profit system, but they are extracting that margin out of us. So how do we level the playing field where we are getting services that are fairly priced and allow us to provide our services at a lower price point to the people we serve? When I tour the sites and even see some of the care that members of my family recently received, it really gives me such an appreciation that this work is the most personal of services, body, mind and spirit. So it’s taking all the work that we are doing to the next level. What are some big changes ahead for Trinity Health? While I know there’s a lot of controversy about artificial intelligence right now, I truly believe that it will transform care delivery in a good way. What we are learning already about the power of harnessing it in the right way is that it’s going to help us support people in profound ways. It’s helping caregivers with getting back to the basics on care delivery instead of having to sit at the computer. One of the things as I look back on 25 years is how slow things change in health care delivery — people are resistant to change. And I think we really need to use enablers and support our workforce — really open our minds and hearts and capabilities to embrace change and the possibilities that come from what we’re experiencing in modern medicine in society. jminda@chausa.org
KEEPING UP
King
Wooten
Respress
Crouch
Matai
Thorn
PRESIDENTS/CEOS Don King to CEO of Ascension St. Vincent in Indiana, from CEO of Ascension Florida. In Indiana, he will oversee 19 hospitals. While Ascension conducts a search for King’s successor in Florida, John Deardorff will be interim ministry market CEO for Florida. Deardorff is regional operating officer for Ascension. Terrence “Terry” Wooten to president of Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, part of CommonSpirit Health’s Saint Joseph Health. He was chief executive of Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, California, which is part of Providence St. Joseph Health.
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Hospital Sisters Health System of Springfield, Illinois, and organizations within that system have made these changes: Charmaine Weis to system vice president of marketing and communications for HSHS. Lauren Respress to system director of accountable care services for HSHS. Amy Crouch to chief financial officer for HSHS Wisconsin market, which includes HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls. Divya Matai to chief financial officer for HSHS Central Illinois market and Illinois Physician Enterprise. HSHS’ Central Illinois market includes HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur, HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield and HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville. Mark Thorn to chief financial officer for HSHS Southern Illinois market, which includes HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland and HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville. Jennifer Garnica to Central Illinois market chief nursing officer.
Lucas Swanepoel moves to role of VP, advocacy and public policy at CHA CHA promoted Lucas Swanepoel to vice president, advocacy and public policy as of Jan. 5. Swanepoel joined CHA in 2019 as its director of government relations and was promoted to senior director of government relations in 2022. “Throughout this time, Swanepoel Lucas has been an invaluable voice for CHA’s advocacy efforts, consistently advancing our mission and strengthening our influence with policymakers,” CHA President and CEO Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, said in an announcement to
staff about his promotion. Swanepoel most recently served two months as the interim vice president of advocacy and public policy. The vice president role has been held by Lisa Smith, who came to CHA in 2005, first serving as senior director, government relations. She submitted her resignation this fall. Before joining CHA, Swanepoel was vice president for social policy at Catholic Charities USA. He has served as associate director for governmental relations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and legal attaché for the Holy See mission to the United Nations.
8 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD January 2026
Providence Sacred Heart surpasses record for kidney transplants By VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN
When Dr. Okechukwu Ojogho attaches the blood vessels from a donor kidney to a transplant patient, it thrills him to watch the blood circulate again. “It’s just a beautiful thing,” he said, “because you can see it pink up, and especially if it’s (from) a living donor, within a few minutes, you can see urine being made before you attach the urine tube to the bladder. So, it’s really fantastic.” Ojogho is the program Ojogho director for the kidney transplant program at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, which performed 85 transplants in 2025 — surpassing its past one-year record of 75 set in 2002 and far outpacing the 59 transplants the center performed in 2024. Ojogho sees how kidney transplants transform patients’ lives. “Relatively speaking, compared to how they were before the transplant, you see a remarkable improvement in their energy levels, in their outlook on life, and how grateful they are for the opportunity, both to the donors and to the team that helped them get this organ,” he said.
Increasing demand According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, organ transplants are on the rise nationally. They increased by 3.3% in 2024 and have risen 23.3% since 2020. Lung and liver transplants have had the highest increases, with a smaller increase for kidney transplants: 27,759 total nationwide in 2024, a 1.6% rise from 2023. The demand for kidneys continues to grow, with more new candidates added to the national waiting list each year, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. Providence Sacred Heart is the only place in the inland Northwest region for patients to go for a kidney transplant outside of Seattle, about 280 miles away, or to hospitals in Idaho or Montana, about 250 miles away. Kourtney Salib, the office manager for the hospital’s kidney transplant program, credits the record number to several factors. Over the last couple of years, the hospital has been able to fully staff the program at the physician level. Before, it had been dif-
48,000+ transplants were performed in 2024
NATIONAL NEED
103,223
men, women and children are on the national transplant waiting list
89,792
patients are on the waiting list for a kidney* *As of September 2024
27,332
kidney transplants were performed in 2023 ficult to recruit the right specialists. It now has three full-time transplant nephrologists, four surgeons, and a physician assistant. In all, there are about 20 hospital staffers on the kidney transplant team. When the team’s staffing was short and an organ was available, they had to be “pretty mindful and conservative,” Salib said, about whether they could care for the patient afterwards. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been able to solidify our physician team, and so we’ve been able to Salib accept more organ offers,” Salib said. Previously, the hospital had hired physicians for short stints to fill gaps in the program, she said. Conversely, in November, the hospital announced a temporary pause in its heart transplant program because of “key vacancies,” according to a press release. The hospital performed six heart transplants in 2025. It is helping patients on its heart transplant waitlist transition to other centers. It will continue to deliver care to patients on the waitlist and to previous transplant recipients. Salib said the kidney transplant team has been able to handle more operations because they work so well together and have created a smooth process. “They are the most dedicated people that I’ve ever worked with,” she said. “They truly care for these patients and the good that we’re doing.” The team is reviewing and enhancing
their work flows and transplant acceptance practices, and they discuss with local and regional nephrologists what defines a good candidate and what those specialists can do to make sure candidates are ready for transplant. “We’re really building that relationship, because those nephrologists will refer to us, and then we’ll transplant the patient, and we’ll send them back,” Salib said. “We’re kind of that intermediary care team for them, so they trust us with their patient.”
Handling logistics Both Ojogho and Salib credit organ procurement organizations, specifically LifeCenter Northwest, for coordinating waiting lists and organ recovery and educating the public about organ donation. As of September 2024, nearly 90,000 people nationwide were waiting for kidneys, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Patients in the Spokane region can wait up to six years, Ojogho said. If patients find a living donor, which is ideal because the kidneys are generally healthier, a transplant can be set up within a matter of weeks to a couple of months. Only about 25% to 30% of kidneys nationwide come from living donors, he said. “We don’t do enough of (living donations) that we’d like,” he said. “We have to be able to raise awareness around that, the need for organs in general and living donors in particular.” Fortunately, kidneys from deceased
13
People die each day waiting for an organ transplant Another person is added to the transplant waiting list every
8 minutes Source: Organdonor.gov
donors can last long enough to be flown across the country before transplant, he said. Salib said that since kidneys from a deceased donor often arrive in pairs, transplant operations are often coordinated one after another for two patients on the list. Sometimes, during follow-up appointments, patients meet each other in the waiting room and realize that they received kidneys from the same donor. “They start talking and interacting, and they’re both joyful and joyous of their journey,” she said. Patients will occasionally meet the donor’s family, and a Providence Sacred Heart social worker can help them through that emotional process, she said. Ojogho said the team is mindful that a donor family might find the transplant process emotionally challenging. “But to see that it turned around and created life in someone else, it helps them know that they’ve made a great decision,” he said. He says it’s satisfying to know he’s had a hand in helping others, and to hear from patients as they move on to healthier lives. Before a transplant, some patients might have to drive 100 miles one way, three times a week, for dialysis. A transplant can make a “huge quality of life difference,” he said. “It just makes you find joy in the calling that you have, that this is how you want to participate,” Ojogho said. “This is how you want to help other people. And for me, I think I get that back in blessings in different ways.” vhahn@chausa.org
Mercy Baltimore doctors provide free foot care to recovery center’s clients Dr. Vandan Patel describes the need he sees for foot care among people experiencing homelessness in downtown Baltimore as “an out of sight, out of mind thing.” To address that, Patel and Dr. Rebecca Cerrato, both part of the Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, take part in an annual foot care clinic hosted by Helping Up Mission. The nonprofit was founded in 1885 to serve the most poor and vulnerable residents of Baltimore. It provides shelter, hot meals, and counseling to those struggling with substance abuse and unstable housing. Patel and Cerrato were part of a team of orthopedic surgeons, orthopedic fellows, and medical assistants from the institute who donated their time and skills for the clinic in late November. Together they served 80 clients of Helping Up Mission over three hours, offering foot care and consultation as well as free socks and shoes. Patel believes events such as the clinic display the values and principles of Catholic health care. “It encompasses the mission we have here at Mercy,” he explained. “It’s another way we can reach out to our com-
Jennifer McMenamin Photography
By SARAH MARCHANT
Dr. Vandan Patel, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon with Mercy Medical Center’s Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction, discusses proper foot care and health with a client of the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore. Patel volunteered his services at an annual foot clinic for clients of the recovery center.
munity. Historically, when this hospital was founded, it was an inner-city community hospital serving our inner-city population, and it’s kind of a faith-based, service-based hospital.” “It’s such a rewarding feeling,” Cerrato said of her annual participation in this
clinic. “Thinking of others, particularly those that are without, should always be on our minds, whether it’s the holidays or not.” The most commonly seen needs at the foot care clinic are nail trimming, callous filing, treatment for aches and pains, and athlete’s foot and fungus. Many clients do not
have access to skin care products or clean, dry clothes. When symptoms progress, they are also without easy access to health care services or adequate insurance coverage. “It’s kind of an out of sight, out of mind thing,” Patel said. Every resident at Helping Up Mission has a story. Patel recalled a client from years past, a mother whose toenails had been neglected due to lack of access to care. This made standing or walking painful, which affected her ability to work and care for her children. Giving her a simple nail trim provided immediate pain relief and improved her quality of life. If needs arise that are beyond the scope of the foot care clinic, Mercy offers additional care. People are directed to the hospital, where X-rays can be taken and labs can be drawn to drill down on a diagnosis. “At Mercy, we do have a proportion of patients we serve free of charge out of the community aspect of it,” Patel explained. For Cerrato, spending a day donating her skill set to those in need truly symbolizes Catholic charity. “Mercy Medical Center as a hospital has always been so supportive of us,” she added. smarchant@chausa.org