Formation for Formation Leaders 2 Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP, to retire 6 Diarmuid Rooney heads mission, sponsorship 7 PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION
MAY 1, 2023 VOLUME 39, NUMBER 7
As COVID emergencies end, attention turns to potential impacts
© Andrey Gorb/ICMC
By LISA EISENHAUER
Parishioners celebrate Mass in the chapel of the St. Nicholas House of Mercy in Lviv, Ukraine. CHA was represented on a three-man delegation that visited places in Ukraine — including this House of Mercy — where Catholic organizations are aiding people harmed by the war.
Delegation visits Ukraine communities helped by Catholic organizations By JULIE MINDA
When a trio of leaders from Catholic organizations visited Ukraine in March, they saw how the Catholic Church and related charitable organizations are fortifying efforts by parish and other church ministries to accompany and aid people who have lost family members, homes and
peace of mind in the war with Russia. Over 10 days, Msgr. Robert Vitillo, Bruce Compton and Christian Kostko learned firsthand about some of the church’s relief work in Ukraine. They visited parish-run centers where mental health therapy and psychosocial support aim to ease emotional and physical suffering. The delegation called on ministries housing and car-
ing for displaced children. They spoke with seminarians gaining the skills and knowledge they’ll use to minister to parishioners who will no doubt be processing the trauma of war for years, if not lifetimes. Msgr. Vitillo, who led the delegation, has made several trips to Ukraine in his
Executives and policy advocates at CHA and its member health systems are on the alert for the ripple effects of the end of the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies that created temporary flexibility in how care is delivered. Michael Richards, vice president of government programs and public policy at SSM Health, cited relaxed pandemic regulations related to telehealth, including the allowance for mental health services to be provided to Medicare enrollees by phone. Richards leads the Interstate Healthcare Collaborative, which operates out of SSM Health. The collaborative advocates for and provides education on interstate license compacts and telehealth policy on behalf of health systems and medical associations. “During the public health emergency we showed that caring for patients at home Continued on 8
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CommonSpirit council spearheads systemwide push toward health equity
Terry Chea/Associated Press
By JULIE MINDA
CommonSpirit Health in 2020 established a Vulnerable Populations Council to develop strategies for better reaching populations who do not have equitable access to health care information, resources and services. Migrant farmworkers are one such population. Here, farmworkers at Del Bosque Farms stack boxes of melons on a flatbed trailer in Firebaugh, California, in July 2021.
Within months of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became glaringly obvious throughout the medical field that while the pandemic was having an impact on virtually all people everywhere, there were some populations that it was hitting much harder than others. Data and anecdotal evidence showed that in the U.S. the public health crisis was disproportionately impacting people of color, the poor, the uninsured and the elderly. To ensure its 140 hospitals and 1,000plus other care sites in 21 states were taking on such disparities, CommonSpirit Health in late 2020 established a Vulnerable Populations Council. Continued on 6
Mission of young Mennonites and Catholic hospital intertwine By KATHLEEN NELSON
After graduating from high school in Ithaca, Michigan, Darren Benesh sought direction. A member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, Benesh, “didn’t know where I fit in and what I really liked. I didn’t want to go to college with nothing settled in my heart.” After working on a farm for a couple
years, he turned to his denomination’s service program with roots in the 1940s and found his purpose at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, part of Trinity Health Of New England. “All of our volunteers enhance our mission, but these young men are on a mission of their own,” says Mary Liebig, manager of volunteer services for Trinity Health Of New England.
The partnership with Saint Francis is one of more than a dozen established by Christian Public Service, a Mennonite agency that originated during World War II. Its website says it was founded to provide “opportunities for conscientious objectors to serve their fellow men in lieu of military service.” Today, the agency fosters volunteer service for young churchmen and Continued on 2
Dr. Chip Veal works in the TeleICU Command Center at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, part of Providence St. Joseph Health. Health systems rapidly expanded telehealth services early in the pandemic.
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These young men walk the walk. But they do it quietly. They don’t look for pats on the back or accolades. They don’t want a letter from us confirming their hours.” — Mary Liebig