che 2009 community benefit annual report

To effect this mission:• We treat all persons whom we serve and with

whom we work with respect and compassion, calling forth their best human potential;

• We provide a full range of services that support healthy communities, including quality medical care and holistic approaches to healing body, spirit and mind;

• We collaborate with others who share a common mission and vision;

• We continually seek ways to assure access to services to persons most in need;

• We identify and develop leaders in Catholic health ministry; and

• We advocate public policies and initiatives, particularly those in the area of healthcare, that ensure quality of life for all.

Catholic Health East is a community of persons committed to being a transforming, healing presence within the communities we serve.

Reverence For Each Person We believe that each person is a manifestation of the sacredness of human life.

Community We demonstrate our connectedness to each other through inclusive and compassionate relationships.

Justice We advocate for a society in which all can realize their full potential and achieve the common good.

Commitment To Those Who Are Poor We give priority to those whom society ignores.

Stewardship We care for and strengthen the ministry and all resources entrusted to us.

CourageWe dare to take the risks our faith demands of us.

IntegrityWe keep our word and are faithful to who we say we are.

Inspired by our Mission and committed to our Core Values, Catholic Health East will achieve excellence in all we do, creating a system that empowers communities and individuals to achieve optimal health and quality of life.

ur Mission...O

ur Core Values...O

ur Vision...O

2 Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009 31Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009

Haiti Earthquake Relief Extends Across CHE

Although the damage in Port-au-Prince is extensive, the worst-hit community was the town of Léogâne, situated atop the earthquake’s epicenter about 20 miles west of the capital. Nearly 80 to 90 percent of its buildings were destroyed and more than 20,000 people were killed. Also suffering extensive damage was the port town of Jacmel, situated on the southern coast of Haiti. Seventy percent of its buildings were destroyed.

Looking to the Future“L’Union Fait La Force”

The above motto is proudly displayed on Haiti’s flag. Its English translation, “Unity Makes Strength,” echoes CHE’s own—“Together we are so much more.” Never was this as true as during these last few months and will continue to be the over the next few years ahead.

Haiti will need a great deal of support to recover, rebuild and restabilize their infrastructure. Global Health Ministry and Catholic Health East are committed to rebuilding the Hospital St. Francis de Sales in Port-au-Prince and will continue to collaborate with its partners to raise the funds and provide the support needed to bring quality health care to the people of Haiti. The system-wide support of our Sponsors, board members, congregations and colleagues illustrates how we live our Core Values every day; it is the living embodiment of our Mission of being a transforming, healing presence in all of the communities we serve.

Catholic Health East System Office colleagues collected over $2,000 for rebuilding Hospital St. Francis de Sales. CHE also held a special chili sale, with homemade chili provided by John Ludwig, an ITSS colleague, and all proceeds were given to GHM. CHE also pledged $100,000 to GHM to help rebuild Hospital St. Francis de Sales.

Global Health Ministry sent two teams to provide medical care to earthquake victims. In Port-au-Prince, Léogâne and Jacmel, clinicians treated hundreds of patients and performed surgery in tents where churches and hospitals once stood. Regular updates about the ongoing needs of the people have been provided system-wide and the response has been overwhelming. In addition to the aforementioned efforts, there have been many other individual and organizational contributions from colleagues, foundations and sponsoring congregations far and wide.

The Numbers“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” – Psalm 50:15

The U.N. estimates that more than 230,000 people were killed in the Haiti earthquake and at least 300,000 more were injured. More than 1.5 million people are living in makeshift tent cities because they have lost their homes. Over 75 percent of the capital city was destroyed, including more than 100,000 homes, with an additional 200,000 sustaining severe damage; and more than 1,300 education centers and 50 hospitals collapsed.

Catholic Health East SponsorsCongregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Scranton, Pennsylvania

Franciscan Sisters of Allegany Allegany, New York

Hope Ministries Newtown Square, Pennsylvania

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Sisters of Providence Holyoke, Massachusetts

Sisters of St. Joseph St. Augustine, Florida

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas:

Mid-Atlantic Community Merion, Pennsylvania

New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community Buffalo, New York

Northeast Community Cumberland, Rhode Island

South Central Community Belmont, North Carolina

Catholic Health East Regional Health Corporations and Joint Operating AgreementsBayCare Health System Clearwater, Florida

Catholic Health Buffalo, New York

Holy Cross Hospital Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Lourdes Health System Camden, New Jersey

Maxis Health System Carbondale, Pennsylvania

Mercy Community Health West Hartford, Connecticut

Mercy Health System of Maine Portland, Maine

Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Mercy Hospital Miami, Florida

Mercy Medical Daphne, Alabama

Pittsburgh Mercy Health System Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s Health System Atlanta, Georgia

Saint Michael’s Medical Center Newark, New Jersey

Sisters of Providence Health System Springfield, Massachusetts

St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, Delaware

St. Francis Medical Center Trenton, New Jersey

St. James Mercy Health System Hornell, New York

St. Joseph of the Pines Southern Pines, North Carolina

St. Mary Medical Center Langhorne, Pennsylvania

St. Mary’s Health Care System Athens, Georgia

St. Peter’s Health Care Services Albany, New York

Catholic Health East Supportive Health CorporationsAllegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc.

Global Health Ministry

Stella Maris Insurance Company, Ltd.

Our HealthMinistry:Catholic Health East Sponsors and Organizations

2009 was a year of landmark events and extraordinary change. Worldwide, the H1N1 influenza was declared a global pandemic. In the United States, Barack Obama made history by becoming the nation’s first African-American president. And our nation took important steps in the process of recovering from the deepest economic recession since the Great Depression.

While progress towards economic recovery has been made, millions of people are still reeling from job losses and home foreclosures. Many families are in financial ruin; others have depleted their savings and live day to day … just one catastrophic event away from losing everything. Though landmark health care reform legislation enacted in early 2010 promises to make health insurance available to more Americans, there are still tens of millions of people who have no coverage and lack access to adequate health care for themselves and their children.

At Catholic Health East, we are keenly aware of the challenges faced by so many in our communities. We see the desperation in the eyes of the single mother seeking help for her ailing infant. We see the hopelessness on the face of the homeless man living in a box under the bridge, forgotten by his family and society. We see the worry on the brow of the wife in our clinic, nervously awaiting word on her husband’s condition. We see the

embarrassment in the expressions of the father who brings his young child to our emergency room, apologizing for the fact that he just lost his job and has no health insurance.

Our Mission to be a transforming, healing presence in the communities we serve has been tested as never before during these difficult economic times. We are proud to report that, in the face of these challenges, our health care ministry has lived up to this Mission. Through our homeless outreach vans, community clinics, transitional housing, free health screenings, home care initiatives, school-based services and senior health programs, Catholic Health East continues to find ways to assure access to services for persons most in need. And, through our unwavering commitment to meeting these community needs, we demonstrate our Core Values of Reverence for Each Person, Community, Justice, and Commitment to Those Who Are Poor.

We are blessed to have more than 54,000 colleagues and thousands of physicians who live our Core Values every day, in ministries located in 11 eastern states from Maine to Florida—people who choose to serve in Catholic health care; people who have the skills, compassion and dedication to succeed and make a difference in the lives of so many.

So … for every desperate single mother seeking help for her ailing child, there is a

calming, compassionate nurse offering reassurance. For every homeless person who has lost hope, there is a dedicated outreach worker extending a helping hand. For every worried spouse awaiting word on the condition of her loved one, there is a friendly volunteer offering words of comfort and support. And for every father who comes to our emergency room without an insurance card, there is an empathetic clerk whose only concern is to ensure that his young child receives the best possible care.

In 2009, Catholic Health East provided over $333 million in community benefit programs and services, a nearly 11 percent increase over the prior year. But faces speak louder than numbers. The following pages feature real-life vignettes about individuals and families whose lives have been touched—and changed through interaction with our ministry’s community benefit programs and services; these are offered here to represent the types of benefits that are made available to tens of thousands of people in need throughout the communities we serve.

We thank all of our Sponsors, colleagues, physicians, volunteers, auxilians, board members, donors and benefactors for helping to make all of these extraordinary services possible, for helping Catholic Health East to continue to fulfill our Mission … and for living our values every day.

Sr. Barbara Wheeley, R.S.M.Coordinator,

CHE Sponsors Council

Jacquelyn S. Kinder, Ed.D.Chairperson,

Board of DirectorsCatholic Health East

Judith M. PersichilliPresident & CEO,

Catholic Health East

Message from...

Dear Friendsand Colleagues,

3Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009

ponsors CouncilCoordinator,Board Chairand CEO

S

Jashia was 19 and uninsured when she discovered she was pregnant. She had no idea what to do or how to care for her unborn child. She turned to the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition’s Prenatal Outreach Center in Port Salerno, Florida for help.

The Center, which is supported by grants from Allegany Franciscan Ministries to the Healthy Start Coalition, connected Jashia to prenatal care at the local health department. Educators helped Jashia learn about the importance of early and consistent prenatal care, and the nutritional and health needs of her growing child.

“With my first baby on the way, I didn’t know what to do. The women at the Prenatal Outreach Center got me on track,” Jashia recalled.

Jashia was eager to follow the Center’s recommendations to ensure a healthy pregnancy and positive birth outcome. She received safe sleeping education, infant CPR training and health literacy education. In April 2008, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

When Jashia became pregnant with her second child, she was reconnected to prenatal care and again took advantage of

the educational opportunities at the Center. Her son was born as healthy as his sister!

Jashia is currently obtaining her certification to become a child care provider. She is grateful for the assistance she received at the Prenatal Outreach Center.

Allegany Franciscan Ministries has awarded three grants totaling $377,000 to the Healthy Start Coalition to support the Prenatal Outreach Center, assisting primarily African-American and Hispanic women like Jashia who do not have access to health care or information. One grant supported a companion program involving fathers in prenatal and infant care.

The Center’s executive director, Lisa Olds, said she and her team “have been blessed with the funds to open our outreach center. Without these services, this fabulous family would have been lost and without care!”

Commitment to Those Who Are Poor Allegany Franciscan Ministries

HealthyStart

A

With my first babyon the way,

I didn’t know what to do. The women at the

Prenatal Outreach Centergot me on track.

“

”

4 Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009

Thanks to funding for the Healthy Start Coalition from Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Jashia was able to access prenatal care. She and her husband Fabian now have two healthy children, Dyziah and Tyrone.

Jaimito was born in Chulucanas, Peru, a small city with few resources for the disabled. Jaimito has muscular dystrophy, a debilitating musculoskeletal disease. He cannot walk and, at age 13, has been confined to the same wheelchair since the age of three. He yearned to get about on his own, in spite of his disability but was so confined in this small chair that squeezing into it caused pressure sores to develop from the arms of the chair rubbing against his skin.

This is how Jaimito was found in July of 2009 when he and his parents came to Global Health Ministry’s physical therapy clinic in Chulucanas. Katesel Strimbeck, a physical therapy supervisor at St. Peter’s Hospital and Global Health Ministry volunteer, immediately recognized this young man’s need and spent many hours trying to retrofit his too-small chair with pads and cushions to no avail. Here was a need that could not be immediately met. But she had a plan.

“I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to get this boy a new wheelchair’, although I didn’t know how I was going to do it,” Katesel said. She took measurements of the boy and crossed her fingers that she would succeed.

Back in Albany, she went to work sending e-mails asking for help. She never expected the response she got. Many people answered, willing to

help, and the word finally was forwarded to Susan Murphy, assistant technology provider at Monroe Wheelchair in Latham, N.Y. Susan shared the request with colleagues throughout her industry and Sunrise Medical in California quickly responded and donated a custom Zippie pediatric wheelchair with all the required accessories, valued at over $6,000.

Katesel and her husband rented a van and drove from Albany to New Jersey with the wheelchair and other items to place in the 40-foot-long container being sent to Peru in November.

The chair fit perfectly. Jaimito’s parents were grateful for all that had been done on his behalf. Katesel and all the staff of Global Health Ministry are also proud and grateful to do such a small thing for a great boy.

I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to getthis boy a new wheelchair’,

although I didn’t know how ...

“”

Commitment to Those Who Are PoorGlobal Health Ministry

eaching Across Continents to Meet a Need

R


Jaimito and his parents are very grateful to Katesel and Global Health Ministry for all they did on his behalf.

Berta has to take two buses and walk several blocks to get to St. John Bosco Clinic in Miami. The 58-year-old does not complain; instead she counts her blessings for feeling healthy again. “You have to make the best out of life. I mostly feel grateful,” said Berta. The Nicaraguan native has been getting much needed medical care at St. John Bosco, a community clinic which is supported by Mercy Hospital.

Berta had been feeling very weak and had blurry vision for months. She didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. Working as a housekeeper and earning $800 a month, she continuously struggled to make ends meet. Berta lives by herself and has no relatives in the United States.

She heard about the free medical services offered to underprivileged families at the clinic. When she went in for a check-up, Maria Elena Torres, A.R.N.P.-B.C., discovered Berta had a blood sugar level greater than 500 and diagnosed her with Type 2 diabetes. Berta also had a hernia and needed surgery. Torres and volunteer endocrinologist Hernan Baquerizo, M.D., immediately took action and placed her on insulin and a strict diet, and provided

her with diabetes education. Berta also underwent surgery to treat her hernia.

“Dr. Baquerizo and Nurse Torres are my guardian angels,” said Berta. “They saved my life.” Berta expressed gratitude about the treatment she received at the clinic. “It’s nice to know you’re not alone. People who are struggling to survive can turn to St. John Bosco and find hope and compassion,” she said.

Berta said her health has completely improved. She has lost 40 pounds. She is off the insulin and takes only oral agents. Through Mercy Hospital, Berta also received free lab tests, X-rays, electrocardiograms and much needed insulin samples. “I feel so much better. My diabetes is now under control. I feel great physically and emotionally,” said Berta.

Commitment to Those Who Are Poor Mercy Hospital of Miami

iving Hope to Thosein Need

G

It’s nice to knowyou’re not alone.

People who are strugglingto survive can turn to

St. John Bosco andfind hope and compassion.

“

”

Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009

Berta has her blood pressure checked by Marta Villalta, a medical assistant at St. John Bosco Clinic in Miami.

6

Cesar and Josefina’s family first received care at the St. Clare Van in July 1999. More than a decade later, the family continues to rely on these services for their basic medical needs. The couple first came to Delaware in the mid-1990’s having emigrated from Mexico with their two children, Cecilia and Andrea.

“My family has been well-cared-for by the van ever since we first arrived in the United States,” said Josefina. “We recognized the importance of these services to our overall health and are lucky to have a medical home where the staff and doctors treat us with respect without judgment or bias.”

Their story is typical of an immigrant family, holding multiple jobs to make ends meet and to provide for their family. Unable to qualify for Medicaid or to afford basic health insurance, they have relied on St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington and the St. Clare Van for their medical care. Cesar was diagnosed with diabetes in April 2007 and has relied on the van for his chronic care. Josefina has been treated for chronic osteoarthritis and back pain for many years, and like many families with financial hardship, depression and anxiety have also complicated their health needs.

In 2003 the oldest daughter, Cecilia, was referred to the St. Francis Tiny Steps program for prenatal care, and delivered a healthy baby boy named Jorge Jr., who also benefits from the van’s services, which include vaccinations. In 2006 Cecilia was diagnosed with gallbladder stones that caused obstruction and mild pancreatitis resulting in the removal of her gallbladder at St. Francis. Having gone through a difficult diagnosis and treatment she later suffered from severe psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. She became pregnant again in 2009 and received her prenatal care through St. Francis, delivering another healthy baby boy named Alexander.

Cesar, Josefina and their family have been especially thankful for the charity and care they have received through St. Francis Hospital and the St. Clare Van and take comfort in knowing they can rely on these services for their medical needs.

Commitment to Those Who Are PoorSt. Francis Hospital

enerationsof Care

G


Josefina (far left) and her family: Jorge Jr., Cecilia, Andrea and baby Alexander.

We recognized the importance of these

services to our overall health and are lucky

to have a medical home where the staff and doctors treat us

with respect.

“

”

7

For Tina, a single mother of three, her son’s critical illness would forever make her appreciate the little comforts of life.

Cohen was born with chronic renal failure and needed a kidney transplant. He spent months in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with a tube surgically placed into his stomach for feeding.

Knowing how sensitive he was, Cohen’s pediatrician referred him into Mercy Pediatric Home Care, part of Mercy Medical, which provides care to any critically ill child in need, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. This specialized program would also keep him at home, away from other sick children. Kim, a Mercy nurse, regularly weighed Cohen, took his vitals, drew his blood and earned his trust. Kim became family.

“How can one convey enough gratitude for things that have no measure—time at home with family and having Kim as the only one of our entire medical team that had Cohen’s trust?” asked Tina.

Without family in the area and without an income, Tina had little support. When Cohen was hospitalized because of complications, Tina and her older children lived at the hospital for weeks. Because Cohen was fed by machine every one-and-a-half hours, the family rarely left.

Before Cohen was born, early signs of his complications led doctors to ask if Tina wanted to discontinue her pregnancy. Tina never questioned her choice to keep

Cohen. But nothing could have prepared her for how much it would affect her family. Tina had to quit her job, quit nursing school and become financially burdened.

Nothing could have prepared her to watch Cohen in intensive care for months at a time, or be airlifted to Birmingham for specialized treatment, or endure a lumbar puncture for doctors to see if an infection had reached his brain. Nothing could have prepared her for the trauma of watching her son suffer or the long wait for a kidney match.

On February 17, 2010, the wait was over. Cohen, at 22 months old, received a kidney transplant at a Birmingham hospital. Nurse Kim drove his siblings eight hours in total, to visit him and their mother the following weekend.

“When you experience what families endure, caring for their critically ill child, you realize the great blessing bestowed upon you to serve them in any capacity,” explained Kim. “The ultimate honor is in knowing they trust you and consider you family.”

Community Mercy Medical

mmeasurable Gratitude and a Mother’s Love

I

How canone convey

enough gratitudefor things that

have no measure?

“”


The whole family would live at the hospital, sometimes for weeks, while Cohen recovered.

Tina would sleep in a chair while Sydney, 9, and Christopher, 5, shared a cot.

Tina with Cohen at the Mercy Medical Annual Pediatric Christmas Party.

Holding Cohen for the first time after his kidney transplant is an unforgettable moment for Tina, as she waited days before Cohen was upgraded from critical condition to recovery.

Linda remembers the day her daughter, Samira, a soccer standout in middle school, fractured her ankle on the playing field. She took her daughter to a walk-in clinic, where she was told Samira needed an MRI and an evaluation by an orthopedic doctor.

“I thought, ‘How will I ever pay for that?’” Linda recalled.

Linda, a psychologist who lost several contracts during the economic downturn, could no longer pay her hefty insurance premiums, a change that left her with no health coverage and a feeling that she had failed her daughter.

They turned to Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, N.J., which provided expert orthopedic care to Samira as well as effective treatment to her mother, a diabetic. Mother and daughter told their story as part of “Faces of the Uninsured,” a photo exhibit, sponsored by Catholic Health East New Jersey, which debuted in the State House in Trenton.

Samira’s story prompted a call from ABC Primetime, asking the two to participate in a health care forum with the president in the East Room of the White House.

Linda said her experience gave her respect for the mission of Saint Michael’s.

“It was frustrating and demoralizing not to be able to provide insurance for my daughter,” Linda said. “But the doctors at Saint Michael’s treated us so well. It was amazing. It was really a restorative experience for us.”

Linda was treated by Dr. Stephen Manocchio, an infectious disease specialist. Dr. Richard Boiardo, chief of orthopedics, treated Samira.

Samira said she is now fully healed. She is excelling on the soccer field and has applied to several private high schools.

“It was important for me to know that I was getting good care,” the teenager said. “And so when I was told that I was healed and ready to play, I had the confidence to get out on the field again.”

CommunitySaint Michael’s Medical Center

oors Open for theUninsured

D


Linda and Samira at their home in South Orange. Samira feared a soccer injury would mean the end of her career because the family lacked health insurance. She was treated at Saint Michael’s Medical Center and is now back in the game.

The doctors atSaint Michael’s

treated us so well.It was amazing.It was really a

restorative experience for us.

“

”

9

Larry knows the gift of making the most of each day. The 49-year-old career truck driver had a serious heart attack, requiring surgery and lengthy follow-up care. As a seasonal worker, Larry could not afford his employer’s health insurance plan, and did not qualify for government assistance.

That’s where the financial subsidy program at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, N.Y., came in. Designed for people who fall between the cracks, it was ideal for Larry. “There was absolutely no way I could pay the medical bills,” he said. “The financial subsidy program did a lot for us.”

Following his surgery at an urban facility, Larry’s follow up and rehab care were coordinated and provided by St. James Mercy. He was anxious to get back to the job.

“I didn’t want to quit working,” he said. But driving a big truck fully loaded with asphalt up to 16 hours a day is mentally and physically stressful. “I’m hoping to pass the next Department of Transportation physical, but if I can’t, maybe I’ll retrain for something else,” he said.

Situated in a geographic area facing challenging economic times, the number of St. James Mercy patients who qualify for financial subsidy has increased 25 percent since 2008, and the trend is growing. The program has made a big difference in the lives of many families, and Larry is no different.

“This is the first hospital I’ve been to where I could get financial help,” he said. “If there’s something wrong, I know I can come here. I’m not sitting at home saying, ‘I can’t go’. It’s more welcoming for you to come here … they don’t push you away.”

And knowing he can come to St. James Mercy for help is reassuring. “Life keeps moving,” he said, “and things can change in a second.”

Community St. James Mercy Health System

ack in the Driver’s Seat

B

This is the first hospitalI’ve been to where I could

get financial help.If there’s

something wrong,I know I can come here.

“

”


Treated at St. James Mercy Hospital after suffering a serious heart attack, Larry hopes to be back in the driver’s seat before long.

“In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Kevin, diagnosed at age four with an autism spectrum disorder identified as pervasive development delay, has been volunteering at Marian Community Hospital’s food and nutrition services department for the past two years.

Prior to graduating from high school in 2008, Kevin participated in a career-based vocational training program entitled, Transitions. The program is a collaborative effort between the local school district and the volunteer services department at Marian Community Hospital in Carbondale, Pa. The ultimate goal of the program is to teach students job skills that will help them secure employment in the future. Since graduation, Kevin has continued his duties as a volunteer.

“It gives him a good sense that he is needed. Kevin benefits from the responsibility of going to a job, and he likes the responsibility,” said Kevin’s mother, Rose. “He especially

enjoys the camaraderie of the hospital staff.”

Rose and her husband, Joe, plan to investigate job placement for Kevin through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation where he would benefit from working directly with a job coach. This opportunity would be due in part to the training, support and positive feedback Kevin has received from his experience at Marian Community.

Kevin’s presence among hospital colleagues has been mutually beneficial. He calls forth the best in so many staff members as he goes about his favorite part of the job—greeting customers. Colleagues, in turn, have a deepened appreciation for one another and for the community they share.

When asked why he continues to volunteer at Marian Community, Kevin simply replied, “It’s my hospital and I love it.”

CourageMaxis Health System

olunteeringCreates Opportunities of Many Kinds

V


Kevin’s presence among hospital

colleagues has been mutually beneficial.

He calls forth the best in so many staff

members.

“

”

11

Shown in the Marian Community Hospital Cafeteria is Kevin (center) along with two of his co-workers, with whom he has formed a special bond, Glen Clark and Roslyn Nolan, cooks at Marian Community Hospital’s food and nutrition services department.

Although Eleanor Roosevelt never had the good fortune of meeting 21-year-old Kevin, she certainly could have been describing his experience with this quote.

Colleagues at Mercy Community Health (MCH), West Hartford, Conn., are finding that sometimes the best approach is the team approach—and the team is not strictly confined to clinicians. At Saint Mary Home, MCH’s skilled nursing facility, family members can have a significant impact on residents’ care management plans.

When Dinh came to live at Saint Mary Home five years ago, colleagues marveled at the consistency with which her family members visited. Until recently, when symptoms of her disease made it no longer feasible, loved ones would bring in traditional Vietnamese foods or take her home to enjoy a family meal.

“Our focus is on person-centered care,” said Eileen Cleary, MCH’s director for dementia education and programming. “And by bringing Dinh familiar foods or being calming and reassuring, the family provides a wonderful complement to the professional care we give.”

For that reason, several colleagues at Saint Mary Home nominated Dihn’s husband, Nghia (Poppy), for an Alzheimer Association’s 2009 Outstanding Caregiver Award, which he received from the organization’s Connecticut chapter on Veterans Day. A former colonel in the South Vietnamese Army, Poppy said that he has been very pleased by the care Dihn has received at Saint Mary Home and though he is honored to be recognized,

“Going to see my wife every day [at Saint Mary Home] is my job now.”

In 1975, Poppy was captured by communists and held for 13 years as a prisoner of war. During his military service and detention, “I could not do everything for my wife. She raised our nine children. Today, I do what I can for her.”

Inspired by families like theirs, Eileen has initiated a second monthly support group meeting for those who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. “We already saw how meaningful our Family Caregivers Support Group was and wanted to meet specific needs of spouses,” Eileen explained.

Mercy Community Health is doing what it can for Dihn and countless others throughout greater Hartford plagued by the ravaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Its programs honor the Mercy tradition and the legacy of those whose substantial lives never will be forgotten.

Courage Mercy Community Health

amily Often at the Heart of Care

F

Going tosee my wifeevery day

[at Saint Mary Home]is my job now.

“”


Eileen Cleary (left) joins outstanding caregiver “Poppy” and his wife Dihn, a Saint Mary Home resident.

12

Shannon arrived at Mercy’s McAuley Residence with a broken spirit. She was a recovering alcoholic, who had recently completed a six-month alcohol and drug rehabilitation program and she was determined to stay sober and get her life back on track.

“I came to McAuley knowing this is where I’m going to start my life over. Little did I know just how much things were going to get better and how quickly it would happen,” said Shannon.

Mercy Health System of Maine’s McAuley Residence, located in Portland, provides a safe haven and a comprehensive transitional housing program for at-risk women and their children. Its mission is to provide an empowering environment where a woman can gain stability, build skills, develop goals and lead a more meaningful holistic life. Women who live at McAuley Residence have access to professional staff and a diverse group of providers whose primary aim is to help them become more self-sufficient, productive members of their communities.

“It is because of the support I received from McAuley that I am able

to continue the work I need to do on myself and to be the mom I want to be,” Shannon said. “It is not just about education and getting a job. It is so much more. I needed to learn how to function and live without alcohol. I had to start from the beginning in a sense.”

Today, Shannon works full time as a certified alcohol and drug counselor at Crossroads for Women, a mental health and substance abuse treatment program. She has reconnected with her family and soon will move into her own apartment with her six- and nine-year-old daughters.

“McAuley Residence gave me more than a place to live,” she said. “It gave me safety, love, support and guidance—and the opportunity to truly find myself. Today, I have a spirit and a strength I’ve never had before. I have identity.”

CourageMercy Health System of Maine

upport for Families in Transition

S


McAuley Residence gave me more than

a place to live …it gave me safety,love, support and guidance—andthe opportunity

to truly find myself.

“

”

13

Shannon, pictured with daughters Makaila and Mya, found a new identity thanks to McAuley Residence at Mercy Health System of Maine.

In the current economic climate, more and more people are having a difficult time affording health care. A purple bus adorned with colorful sea creatures travels throughout Florida’s Hillsborough County offering families without access to medical care some much needed help.

Emiliano needed to enroll his four-year-old son, Jaide, in preschool; but he couldn’t afford the required immunizations or check-up. When Jaide began complaining of a sore throat, friends told him about the purple bus. It was just the shot in the arm this family needed. Not only did Dr. Peter Gorski treat Jaide’s sore throat, he gave him a flu vaccination as well.

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s Mobile Medical Clinic provides free immunizations, well-child visits and developmental screenings to children in underserved areas throughout Tampa, Fla. The medical clinic on wheels travels once a month to four Hillsborough County family resource and support centers and makes frequent visits to area missions.

On the bus, child advocates provide families with injury prevention education and distribute safety items, including bike helmets and cabinet locks. They also distribute applications for Medicaid or Florida Kid Care to families without

insurance. In an effort to make sure the children’s ongoing medical needs are met, the child advocates often follow up to see if the family needs help navigating their way through the system.

Since their first visit to the Mobile Medical Clinic, Emiliano has applied for Medicaid. During a follow-up visit one year later, the soft-spoken man who speaks little English, declared, “He’s very healthy now. He eats real good.”

In 2009, the Mobile Medical Clinic attended 68 events, educated 501 adults about the importance of immunizations, saw 709 children and immunized 463 children. The bus is funded by St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, part of BayCare Health System; the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County; the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida.

With two more children at home, Emiliano is glad to know that health care is available for his kids. “I love this country,” he declared.

Integrity BayCare Health System

urple PeopleTreater”Improves Accessto Care

“P

With two more childrenat home, Emiliano

is glad to know thathealth care is available

for his kids.

“”


Emiliano stays close by his son’s side while St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital pediatrician Peter Gorski checks Jaide’s heartbeat at the Mobile Medical Clinic.

The purple bus provides free immunizations and well-child visits

to children in underserved areas.

When Beatrice came to Philadelphia to visit her daughter and grandchildren, the thought of not being able to return to her home country of Liberia never crossed her mind. During her visit, Beatrice was diagnosed with peripheral vascular disease. What started as an infection in her foot, ultimately resulted in the unexpected above-the-knee amputation of her left leg.

Upon discharge from Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, part of Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Beatrice was referred to Mercy Home Health for nursing care and physical therapy. Described by her therapists as “an excellent student with a positive outlook,” Beatrice had a relatively smooth recovery. Her in-home therapy included instruction and rehabilitation to build up the residual limb in preparation for the prosthesis.

Without insurance, the team at Mercy Home Health realized it would be impossible to get the prosthesis she so desperately needed to live a quality life. They quickly researched companies and non-profit organizations that might lend a hand. Since Beatrice wasn’t a citizen, the majority of organizations were unable to help. Nearly two months went by. The team pressed on.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Harry J. Lawall & Sons, a prosthetics company with whom Mercy has a good relationship, generously donated a prosthetic leg for Beatrice. Her family was overjoyed; they were reminded that no matter what obstacle emerges, “God will provide!”

“Mercy gave me the help and support I needed at a very difficult time,” Beatrice said. “They never gave up on me.”

Beatrice is currently receiving physical therapy at a Mercy Wellness Center. She is making steady progress and can walk on level surfaces. Therapy will resume teaching her how to walk up and down steps and perform daily functions. Beatrice has now made Philadelphia her home, but travel is still within her sights—including trips back home to Liberia.

IntegrityMercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania

he Gift of Mobility

T


Mercy gave methe help and

support I neededat a very difficult time.

They nevergave up on me.

“”

15

Pictured with her physical therapist, Lise Meloy, Beatrice was wheelchair bound until she received her prosthesis in early 2010. The dedicated staff at Mercy Home Health found a generous donor just before Thanksgiving.

“I knew right away that it was cancer,” said Luda, who discovered a mass in her left breast while she was watching television last August.

“I put my hand over my chest, and it felt weird. There was nothing like it on the other side,” Luda recalled. At the time, she recently had lost her job—as well as her health insurance benefits—and she did not know where to turn for help.

Luda found the St. Mary Breast Health Initiative after looking online for free mammograms. Coordinator Debbie Jankowski scheduled Luda for a free clinical breast examination and screening mammogram at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. “After the mammogram confirmed a suspicious mass, we sent Luda for a breast ultrasound and arranged for her to meet with a St. Mary breast surgeon,” said Jankowski. A biopsy confirmed that Luda had breast cancer—and it was a particularly aggressive and invasive form of the disease. After considering treatment options, Luda chose to have a double mastectomy with breast reconstruction surgery. Before the course of treatment, the 47-year-old wife and mother received approval for Medicaid. After surgery, Luda received four rounds of chemotherapy at

the St. Mary Regional Cancer Center and started outpatient lymphedema therapy. Luda credits the Breast Health Initiative for saving her life. “They got back to me so quickly when I first called,” she said. “The whole time I received the best care. The doctors, nurses, everyone were very caring and informative. This was a lifesaving experience.” The St. Mary Breast Health Initiative, supported by a grant from the Philadelphia affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, provides free clinical breast examinations and screening mammograms to uninsured women 40 and older who meet certain financial guidelines. Since its inception in October 2008 through January 2010, the initiative has served more than 500 Bucks County women. Of that number, five women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and one was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Integrity St. Mary Medical Center

reast Health InitiativeProvides Lifesaving Experience

B

The doctors, nurses,everyone were very caring

and informative. This was a lifesaving experience.

“”


Debbie Jankowski (left), coordinator of the St. Mary Breast Health Initiative, meets with Luda, who was treated for an aggressive form of breast cancer after receiving a free screening mammography and ultrasound through the Breast Health Initiative.

Tina, 22, arrived at the Holy Cross Hospital Community Outreach Program Office with her three-month-old son on a frigid Monday morning. He was covered in layers of clothes, almost looking like a doll as he peacefully slept in his baby carriage. She was there for his first round of immunizations; shots he should have had when he was eight weeks old.

“It took me a long time to get the Medicaid approved for Jordan,” Tina said. “I wish I would have known about this free vaccine program sooner.”

The Vaccine for Children is a state-managed program that benefits uninsured children or those covered under Medicaid. The vaccines are administered in schools, the Holy Cross community service area and the Holy Cross Community Outreach Office in Fort Lauderdale.

These vaccines will protect little Jordan from diseases such as whooping cough, influenza and polio. Jordan’s mother understood the urgency of her baby’s first shots and had been worried sick about his health. “I had been in fear, thinking I could lose my baby’s custody due to medical neglect.” Tina, whose first

son is in foster care, is working to get things in order to regain custody. “I have been told that I can get him back when I start working,” said Tina with a smile on her face.

Tina, who struggles with a learning disability, has high hopes of returning to school and getting a job as a security guard. She has no family and had been living in a domestic violence shelter for most of her pregnancy with baby Jordan. She finally managed to move into a two-bedroom apartment in Delray Beach. The first couple of weeks were rough. She and her newborn baby slept on the floor until furniture was donated.

“I have a two-bedroom apartment for me and my babies,” Tina said proudly. “All I want now is to be a good mother and take care of my kids. Thanks to Holy Cross and this program, I can finally do that.”

IntegrityHoly Cross Hospital

iving Hope to a Young Mother and Her Newborn Baby

G


All I want nowis to be a good

mother and take care of my kids.

Thanks to Holy Cross and this program,

I can finally do that.

“

”

17

Left to right: Kim Saiswick, director of Holy Cross Hospital Community Outreach, and Tina with baby Jordan.

Rick was accepted into Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services’ Recuperative Care Program after his release from a major trauma hospital in Atlanta. The 19-bed unit provides a safe environment for persons who are experiencing homelessness and have been discharged from hospital care.

“I started abusing drugs and alcohol when I was very young and even landed myself in jail for a while. But I still didn’t learn any lessons,” Rick said. “I kept living recklessly and finally got into a fight that put me in the hospital in a coma for three days. When I woke up, I prayed to God asking him to take away my cravings for addictive drugs. And I got an answer. I was taken into Mercy Care’s Recuperative Care Program.”

This time Rick did learn the “lesson” and began recreating his life and putting his addictions behind him. A major focus of the Recuperative Care Program is to assist recovering patients with moving into housing and to provide them access to other needed services to break the cycle of homelessness.

“My case manager linked me to resources that helped me to deal with my addictions. She helped me get shelter,” said Rick. “A job was next on my agenda;

but while I worked on getting one, I wanted to do something for everybody who helped me, so I volunteered at the unit preparing rooms and assisting staff.”

Rick enrolled in a job readiness program and worked on a resume. Then the perfect job came along—a peer specialist position with a local agency that allows him to help other individuals reclaim their lives as he has done.

Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and Saint Joseph’s Health System, Mercy Care is celebrating 25 years of providing primary health and dental care, education and social services to persons in need throughout Atlanta. The Recuperative Care Program is Atlanta’s first and only program of its kind.

“I have a small apartment now and a bank account,” Rick said smiling. “I have so much I can give to other people. Yes, God answered my prayer and I am so grateful.”

Saint Joseph’s Health System

rom Almost Giving Up … to Giving Back

F

I have so muchI can give to other people.

Yes, God answeredmy prayer and

I am so grateful.

“”


Justice

Rick is grateful for the new lease on life provided to him by the Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services’ Recuperative Care Program.

Leaving family and friends behind and moving to another country is a difficult experience, yet that’s exactly what Hong did when she left Vietnam and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts with her husband Victor last October. Six months pregnant when she arrived in the United States, Hong wasn’t sure how to secure the medical care that she and her new baby would need in the coming months.

Through the local office of Boat People S.O.S., Inc., Hong and Victor learned of the Vietnamese Health Project (VHP), an outreach program of the Sisters of Providence Health System that has served Springfield’s Vietnamese community for the past 15 years.

Under the direction of program coordinator Thu Pham, the VHP assists more than 700 Vietnamese refugees and immigrants each year with a wide variety of services including assistance with access to health care, health insurance applications, selection of primary care providers, medical translation for appointments, home visits and health education.

“Having a baby can be a joyful but frightening experience, particularly if

the mother struggles to understand English and is unsure about how to engage a health care provider,” said Pham. “We assist these women with early prenatal care and support throughout their pregnancy and during the delivery of their babies at the Family Life Center for Maternity at Mercy Medical Center.”

For Hong, the VHP provided an important connection to people who spoke her language and helped her navigate this wonderful experience.

David was born on December 1, 2009—a healthy baby boy weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. “My husband and I will always be grateful to Thu and the VHP case managers for their support during my pregnancy and their continuing friendship since David was born,” said Hong.

JusticeSisters of Providence Health System

eaching Out Through the Vietnamese Health Project

R


My husband and I will always be grateful to Thu and the VHP case

managers for their support during my

pregnancy and their continuing friendship since David was born.

“

”

19

Victor and Hong with two-month-old David and Thu Pham, program coordinator of the Vietnamese Health Project at Sisters of Providence Health System.

Every year, hundreds of Athens-area women and children escape domestic violence through Project Safe. When it’s time for them to leave the emergency shelter and set up homes of their own, many need help obtaining everything from kitchenware to beds.

But with the non-profit’s small vehicles, setting up a household meant multiple budget-straining trips. The process also meant some families had to stay in the shelter longer, limiting the space available for helping other victims.

So when St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens, Ga., announced it was giving away eight retired ambulances, the staff of Project Safe applied.

“We never have difficulty matching couches or beds to families who are finding safety in a new home,” said Marla Taylor, Project Safe’s shelter operations coordinator. “But orchestrating the movement of furniture to our clients’ homes was often difficult. This ambulance makes it possible to move a family into a new, safe home in one time-efficient trip.”

“After we outsourced our ambulance service, we could have simply sold our emergency vehicles, but our mission is to be a healing presence in our community,” said Don McKenna, St. Mary’s president

and chief executive officer. “We knew many service organizations needed vehicles like these but couldn’t afford them.”

More than 70 organizations responded to St. Mary’s request for proposals, said Foundation grant writer, Stephanie Walsh.

“If you were to assess what it would cost these eight recipients to buy equivalent vehicles, this program was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Walsh said. “That’s money most of them simply did not have. It’s wonderful that we could make such a difference.”

The other organizations which received ambulances were Advantage Behavioral Systems, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, University of Georgia Police Department, Grady Memorial Health System, Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, Forsyth County Fire Department and Wilkes County EMS. Thanks to St. Mary’s, these vehicles are enjoying a “second life” by helping these organizations meet the needs of their communities.

St. Mary’s Health Care System

mergencyVehicles tothe Rescue

E

This ambulancemakes it possible

to move a family into a new, safe home in onetime-efficient trip.

“”


Justice

Project Safe interns Kristen Baker and Lily Arfa help Shelter Operations Coordinator Marla Taylor load furniture into the non-profit’s new van. St. Mary’s Health Care System donated retired ambulances to Project Safe and seven other community organizations.

Three years ago, Jeanneth was working as a street vendor in Bolivia when her clothing caught fire, causing severe burns to her face, arms and neck. Because of limited medical resources, this young mother of four was left with a thick layer of scar tissue that made it impossible to move her arms and head. Simple tasks, like walking or feeding herself, became difficult and left her unable to work.

When they learned of her plight, Catholic Health’s Kenmore Mercy Hospital located in Kenmore, N.Y., stepped in to donate the much needed plastic surgery to repair her severely scarred and contracted neck and face. Jeffrey Meilman, M.D., plastic surgeon, along with a team of doctors, nurses and technicians from Kenmore Mercy, performed extensive surgery on 23-year-old Jeanneth in January 2010. During the four-hour surgery, Dr. Meilman removed the scar tissue and resurfaced the area with skin grafts.

“Our mission is to serve those in need and we are happy to be able to help people like Jeanneth, who might not otherwise have access to this type of care in their homeland,” said James Millard, president and chief executive officer, Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

The surgery was made possible by

donations from Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Dr. Meilman and the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation—a local charity founded by Dr. Meilman more than 10 years ago.

Through an interpreter, Jeanneth described the surgery as “a rebirth.”

After a weeklong hospital stay, Jeanneth was discharged from the hospital and continued her recovery at the home of a generous local family.

Nurses who cared for Jeanneth during her stay at Kenmore Mercy Hospital hope that this surgery will truly change her life. To aid in this effort, they collected clothing and supplies to send home with her.

“Helping Jeanneth is just one more way that Kenmore Mercy and its associates live our mission, to serve those in need,” said Millard.

Helping Jeanneth is just one more way

that Kenmore Mercy and its associates live our mission, to serve

those in need.

“”

Reverence for Each PersonCatholic Health

ope for a Brighter Tomorrow

H When Jeanneth (pictured above with Kenmore Mercy nurse Marion Ketch and Irma, a member of her host family) arrived, her face and neck were heavily scarred from severe burns. Surgical removal of scar tissue will allow her more freedom of movement … to which she happily gives a ‘thumbs up’.


Less than a year ago, William’s hands were so shaky he could barely eat and had great difficulty buttoning his shirt. An unsteady gait made walking difficult. Although he lived with his sister, he could not rely on family to meet his many needs.

LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) at Lourdes was the answer. Launched in spring 2009, LIFE meets the comprehensive, chronic care needs of seniors while allowing them to remain in their own homes, avoid or delay nursing home placement and reduce avoidable hospitalization.

William, 78, of Glendora, N.J., was the program’s third enrollee and immediately received therapy and medication management to control his condition.

“I could hardly eat, my hands were so shaky,” William said. “With therapy and my medication, I can do it all now. It gives me a little bit of independence.”

Funded by Medicare and Medicaid, LIFE’s services include adult day care, home health, medications and prescriptive devices, social services, hospital, nursing and respite care, and related transportation. There is no additional cost to the client, making LIFE more affordable than long-term nursing care.

At the adult day care in Pennsauken, clients participate in daily recreational activities—from baking a cake to competing on Nintendo Wii™—attend appointments with physicians, nurses and social workers and receive physical, occupational and recreational therapy.

Breakfast and lunch are prepared by chefs at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden, N.J.

“The program delivers medical and supportive services and is able to provide the entire continuum of care to seniors with chronic care needs while maintaining their independence for as long as possible,” said Paul Bryman, D.O., LIFE at Lourdes medical director.

“LIFE takes a team approach to health care, keeping the senior and his or her family at the center of health care decisions,” said Sam Crawford, LIFE at Lourdes executive director. “Care through LIFE is complete, preventative and ongoing.”

William said he loves the Lourdes staff, the friendships he has forged with fellow participants and the new life he has achieved.

“This is my home away from home,” he said. “When I don’t come here, I really miss it.”

Lourdes Health System

elpingSeniors RegainIndependence

H

With therapyand my medication,I can do it all now.

It gives me a little bitof independence.

“”


Reverence for Each Person

William and Candline Ogline, N.P., R.N., A.P.N.-C. At the LIFE at Lourdes adult day center, clients take advantage of a variety of activities, including medical appointments, physical therapy, games and meals.

The Sister Hyacintha Program of St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, N.J., has been providing medical care to the homebound since 1984. This important mission is a continuation of the work begun by Sister Mary Hyacintha of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

Wanda was one such patient. In 2003, she suffered an aneurysm and total paralysis.

“I visited her every day in the rehab center and the nursing home in New York, even though she didn’t recognize me,” said her husband, Terry. Once she returned home, he was unable to take her to and from the doctor’s office, so he and his children searched online and found the Sister Hyacintha Program.

“God led me to that site,” Terry said.

The physicians and nurses in this program specialize in home health care. Their expertise in case management is coupled with the fact that the delivery of quality health care can be accomplished in the comfort of one’s home. The staff, including Dr. Lukose Vadakara, Nancy Hilton, R.N., and Marianne Pollack, visited the couple’s home every other month to provide medical care for Wanda sometimes arriving at the end of their day at 8 p.m.

On one visit, Dr. Vadakara observed that Terry was not himself. “The

doctor asked me if I was all right. I responded that I was just a little tired. He told me that something was wrong and he was not leaving without taking care of me,” said Terry.

Upon examination, Dr. Vadakara determined that Terry was experiencing the symptoms of a stroke. Terry was rushed to the emergency room where he received the medication that would ultimately save his life. “Doctors told me without Dr. Vadakara’s intervention, I would have had a full left-sided stroke,” said Terry.

While Terry recovered, the Program staff arranged care for Wanda so that he could get the care he needed to get well.

“Without St. Francis Medical Center and the Sister Hyacintha Program, I know that I would not be alive today,” said Terry. “I praise God for leading me to them.”

Reverence for Each PersonSt. Francis Medical Center

ome Care Saves Lives

H


WithoutSt. Francis Medical

Center and theSister Hyacintha Program, I know

that I would not be alive today.

“

”

23

Catholic Health

Terry (pictured with Marianne Pollack) is very grateful to the Sister Hyacintha Program at St. Francis Medical Center for the care provided to his wife, Wanda, and for saving his own life.

Combining professional nursing and ministry, parish nurses provide practical medical support and spiritual care to people in their homes, at neighborhood senior centers or after church services. “It’s the only nursing specialty I know where you can develop long-term relationships with patients because you see them in everyday life,” said Dorothy Mayernik, R.N., M.S.N. “Parishioners feel free to approach the parish nurse with their concerns.”

Nancy, one of the first parish nurses in the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System program, has been on both sides of parish nursing. When she could no longer work as a nurse in a county HIV clinic, she became a parish nurse, making home visits to people in St. Rita Parish in Munhall, Pa. Now, she receives home visits from a parish nurse.

“As my own complex health problems set in, I’ve become the one who needs help,” said Nancy. “When Dorothy visited me recently, she brought me a hand-crocheted prayer shawl. Immediately, I thought of my friend Carol who had died just 10 days earlier. Dorothy listened to me talk about Carol and her love of crocheting. It became a bereavement visit, helping me to cope with the loss of a good friend.”

Parish nurses listen and educate people about how to stay well. They find medical care for uninsured people; they lend emotional support and help solve everyday health care problems. They also pray with people, knowing that God is the source of all healing.

Mercy Parish Nurse and Health Ministry, established in 1991, also offers education, networking, consultation, collaboration, problem solving and encouragement to approximately 3,500 parish nurses and other health ministers nationwide. With a focus on the needs of the whole person, parish nurses epitomize the art and science of nursing by providing professional health care to their neighbors, ever mindful of the connection between faith and health.

Pittsburgh Mercy Health System

ealth Care Wrapped in Prayer

H

It’s the onlynursing specialty I know where you can developlong-term relationships

with patients because yousee them in everyday life.

“

”


Stewardship

Dorothy Mayernik, R.N., M.S.N., manager of the Mercy Parish Nurse and Health Ministry Program, surprised Nancy with a handmade prayer shawl on a recent home visit.

St. Joseph of the Pines (SJP), Southern Pines, N.C., warms children’s stomachs, provides them with the tools to start a new school year and feeds their minds with the love of books.

It’s easy to quantify the particulars of a program such as Moore County Schools BackPack Pals. Numbers are readily available to show current data: 671 children enrolled at 21 schools, 150 volunteers, 53 churches, 46 organizations, and tens of thousands of backpacks distributed since 2005.

What is more difficult to illustrate are the behind-the-scenes efforts that result in children like Susan, a second-grader at Academy of Moore Charter School, being able to join the BackPack Pals program.

In 2005, SJP gave Moore County Schools seed money to institute BackPack Pals, which provides nutritious food for children to take home on Fridays to sustain them until they return to school and receive free or reduced meals. Last year, SJP increased its financial and volunteer support so now 19 associates collect backpacks at two schools, take them to the local Food Bank where they are filled with non-perishable food and drinks, then return them to the school—ready for the children to take home.

With more dollars for BackPack Pals, children like Susan, who can fall

through the cracks during economic uncertainty, can take advantage of the program. “BackPack Pals is great. It really helps so many children,” said Susan’s mother, Mary. “It’s a wonderful thing that children know there is a variety of food for them when they’re home for the weekend.”

Mary is a single mother. Susan is shy and withdrawn. “I was thankful Susan could get into BackPack Pals. It helps a lot under these circumstances,” Mary said.

“With the recognition that these are tough economic times, it becomes increasingly important for St. Joseph of the Pines to live out its mission and help those in our community in need,” said Ken Cormier, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph of the Pines.

StewardshipSt. Joseph of the Pines

ackPack Pals Provides Nourishment

B


I was thankfulSusan could get

into BackPack Pals.It helps a lotunder these

circumstances.

“”

25

Susan, pictured with her mother Mary, is a grateful recipient of the BackPack Pals program. A student at the Academy of Moore Charter School, Susan is one of 700 children in Moore County who take part in BackPack Pals.

When you’re facing a life-threatening illness, you appreciate the little things that help you through each day.

St. Peter’s ALS Regional Center is that kind of oasis for Larry. It’s also true for other ALS patients in northeastern New York where St. Peter’s Center is the only one of its kind in a 17-county region.

“It’s the type of stuff they do—the little things that make it almost like you’re home,” said Larry, 58. He recalled the time the Center’s receptionist, Tamika Webb, jumped up from her desk to get him a wheelchair. “I came in for a meeting and I was having trouble walking and without even having to ask, Tamika immediately grabbed a wheelchair for me.”

“The staff is very dedicated; always willing to help,” Larry said. “No one rushes you. You can take your time.”

Thanks to St. Peter’s unique center, people suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, don’t have to travel to multiple offices to get the care they need.

The “one-stop shopping” is one of the best things about the St. Peter’s ALS Center, according to Larry, one of 140 ALS patients served there in 2009.

Every three months, Larry is evaluated at the Center’s clinic by a pulmonary specialist, followed by occupational and physical therapists, his nurse case manager and his doctor. Medical and psychosocial issues are also addressed and supported.

Something else that is special: most of the Center’s services are free to ALS patients and their families. Also available are expensive pieces of equipment, such as lifts and communication devices, which the Center loans to patients free of charge. Like the Center’s medical services, most ALS patients have no insurance coverage for such expenses.

“The most valuable thing,” Larry said, “is when I’m really feeling down and a little overwhelmed, I can always call and talk to someone [at the Center]—somebody who can understand my situation. That means a lot.”

Stewardship St. Peter’s Health Care Services

are and Support for ALS Patients

C

When I’m reallyfeeling down and

a little overwhelmed,I can always call and

talk to someone."

“”

Larry of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was one of 140 patients with ALS to receive free medical care and other support services from St. Peter’s ALS Regional Center in 2009.


Cost of Care for the Poor includes the cost of charity care granted in the provision of care for uninsured patients who qualify for free care, uninsured patients who qualify for discounts and low-income underinsured patients who qualify for discounted or forgiven charges for amounts that are the patient’s responsibility.

Cost of Community Benefit Programs includes community health education such as classes, support groups, and self-help programs; community-based clinical services such as screenings, one-time or occasional clinics, free clinics and

mobile clinics; health care support services; cash, grants and in-kind goods and services donated without compensation; and volunteer service hours of health system employees.

Unpaid Costs of Medicaid Programs includes shortfalls related to Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), public and/or indigent care (medical programs for low-income or medically indigent patients) and local and state government programs that reimburse health care providers for persons not eligible for Medicaid.

Cost of Care for the Poor

Cost of Community Benefit Programs

Unpaid Costs of Medicaid Programs

TOTAL

Acute Care Hospitals

Long Term Acute Care Hospitals

Long Term Care(Hospital-Based & Freestanding Facilities)

Assisted Living Facilities

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

Psychiatric and Rehabilitation Facilities

Home Health/Hospice Agencies

Medicaid Managed Care Programs

*As of April 2010**2009 Statistics

34

4

25

14

4

8

37

1

7,659

139

2,760

912

634

316

1,651,471 visits**

2.5 million (covered lives)**

95,361,930

101,388,257

137,168,073

333,918,260

28.6%

30.3%

41.1%

100%

$

$

$

$

CHE’s 2009 Community Benefit information has been calculated and presented in accordance with the Catholic Health Association’s A Guide for Planning and Reporting Community Benefits.

Number of Facilities Staffed Beds

41.1%

30.3%

28.6%

Unpaid Costsof MedicaidPrograms

$137,168,073

Care forthe Poor

$95,361,930

Community Benefit Programs$101,388,257

2009 Community BenefitCost Mix

Overview of Key Catholic Health East Services*

atholicHealth EastOverview &Statistics

C


2009 2009

2009

nearly 70 percent of the hospital lay in ruins; the maternity building, which survived the earthquake, was being used for emergency care; and word soon spread that Archbishop Miôt was among the earthquake’s casualties.

Social Media Plays a Key Role in Aid“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9

By the next day, the extent of the devastation became clearer across the world. Haiti needed help; they needed it now; and they needed a lot of it. Homes, businesses, schools, orphanages and hospitals were destroyed. Unsubstantiated reports of casualties and missing were reported as anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000. Whatever the numbers, the needs were great—this was a poor country even before catastrophe struck. How would they rebuild? How could they get back on their feet?

It would take faith.

It would take strength.

It would take support.

And it would take … text messages?

Within minutes after the earthquake struck, social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter were inundated with posts and tweets about the destruction in Haiti. And by 9 p.m., the American Red Cross had set up a texting campaign urging people to make a donation of $10 via their cell phones using a simple text code. Coupled

1/12/2010, 8:12 p.m. EST, Sr. Mary Jo responds to an e-mail from Nadia Morquette, R.N. (GHM volunteer):

“It sounds as if there is little infrastructure left that will be able to handle a large mobilization of relief … Once we can get into Haiti, we may want to meet with HSFS staff to assess their needs …”

1/12/2010, 10:41 p.m. EST, e-mail from Sr. Mary Jo to Fr. Mede (CEO, Hospital St. Francis de Sales):

“Pere Mede, Please give us news of you, our friends at HSFS and damage at the hospital.”

Global Health Ministry’s Long-Time Commitment to Haiti“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

Since 1989, Global Health Ministry (GHM), a supportive health corporation of CHE, has sent teams of medical professionals to provide health care services, education and programs to the poor and underserved communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

GHM’s connection with Haiti began in 1998, when the first of many medical teams arrived to provide care in what has been noted as “the poorest country in the western hemisphere”—approximately 80 percent of Haiti’s population lives below the poverty line. Since that first mission, nearly 100 GHM volunteers have treated more than 5,000 patients in Haiti.

Hospital St. Francis de Sales (HSFS), located in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, has been serving the country’s poor since 1881. A few years ago, HSFS embarked on an ambitious revitalization journey, initiated by hospital board chairman, Archbishop Joseph Miôt, to develop a network that connected HSFS with 57 rural clinics and three hospitals to serve the poor in Haiti’s countryside. This project included building both a new ambulatory care and maternity building.

In 2009, Catholic Health East provided a $100,000 grant to GHM to help build the new maternity building at HSFS. It would include two delivery rooms, 12 patient rooms, a reception area and family waiting room. The building was slated to open in February 2010.

But by the morning of January 13, 2010,

On the afternoon of January 12, 2010, for just under 35 seconds, their world shook. When it stopped less than a minute later, hundreds of thousands were dead or dying and many more were missing and/or buried under collapsed buildings. The devastating earthquake that hit the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince at 4:53 p.m. on that Tuesday afternoon was a massive magnitude 7.0—the worst to hit Haiti in more than two centuries, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in world history.

Immediately following the earthquake, as media outlets began to report on the catastrophic aftermath and devastation throughout the region, communities, organizations and individuals back home in the United States and around the world were already looking for ways to help. Military and civilian rescue teams were mobilized and awaiting deployment; aid organizations began to organize monetary relief funds; and at Catholic Health East, Sr. Mary Jo McGinley, R.S.M., executive director, Global Health Ministry, began to reach out to our friends in Haiti for situation updates and a needs analysis.


“… the earth groaned loud from deep inside … that was worse than the shaking.” – An earthquake survivor


Health Seton Institute (the international outreach arm of the Daughters of Charity).

The community outreach department at Holy Cross Hospital (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) collected thousands of dollars worth of supplies for Haiti in the days immediately following the quake; and volunteers traveled to Haiti to help assess and triage patients. Relief efforts were also posted on Holy Cross’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Lourdes Health System (Camden, N.J.) allowed colleagues to make donations via payroll deduction and by swiping their ID badges in the cafeteria or gift shop. The Lourdes Wellness Center sponsored a “Yoga for Haiti” class; in lieu of the usual tuition for the class, participants were asked to make their checks out to Global Health Ministry. Carrie Paston, M.D., a Lourdes ER physician, traveled with the second mission team to Haiti.

Maxis Health System (Carbondale, Pa.), named for Sr. Theresa Maxis, the foundress of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, started a Haiti Fund to directly benefit the Little Sisters of St. Theresa in Haiti. Sr. Theresa’s mother Betsey was a Haitian refugee.

The departments of therapeutic recreation and admissions at Mercy Community Health’s Saint Mary Home (West Hartford, Conn.) teamed up with Sodexo Senior Services to organize a benefit lunch, raising over $700 for Haiti relief.

Mercy Health System of Maine donated medical supplies and equipment to the International Medical Equipment Collaborative for shipment to Haiti, and also donated $1,000 to Konbit Sante’s Earthquake Response Fund. Konbit Sante is a Maine-based non-profit organization that has a partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Health to improve health care in northern Haiti.

utility directly from the act of alleviating the suffering of another, the mesolimbic reward system also known as the brain’s ‘pleasure center’ is activated, releasing dopamine into the brain. This produces feelings of enjoyment. The study also found that donating to societal causes and earning money share anatomical systems of reward reinforcement. These findings emphasize that there is a definite neurological and biological response to charitable giving.

Catholic Health East Responds“I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least ones, you did it for me.” – Matthew 25:40

Empathy, guilt, shared experiences and social media alone were not going to be enough unless relief efforts were organized and people took action. It would take the collective efforts of organizations and individuals worldwide to make a difference. Colleagues throughout CHE recognized this need and responded in great fashion. Some of these efforts from across the system are highlighted throughout the next few pages.

Eileen Boyle, executive director, Allegany Franciscan Ministries (Palm Harbor, Fla.), met with Raymond Joseph, Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S., to discuss AFM’s commitment to help rebuild Haiti. The AFM Foundation also made a donation of $10,000 to GHM to help with relief efforts.

BayCare Health System (Clearwater, Fla.) donated $100,000 to GHM to help rebuild Hospital St. Francis de Sales. Colleagues held a collection for non-perishable food items, supplies and clothing. In addition, the health system collaborated with the Florida Hospital Association and the State of Florida disaster preparation team to determine what assistance they could provide.

Catholic Health (Buffalo, N.Y.) donated $5,000 to each of three international relief organizations: Global Health Ministry, Catholic Relief Services and Ascension

with the promotion all over social media outlets, this method raised $5 million in just the first day, and within one week, a record $22 million was raised for Haiti relief through cell phone text messages alone.

CHE embraced social media as well. CHE Regional Health Corporations (RHCs) with Facebook pages and Twitter accounts kept their ‘fans’ up-to-date and posted new information being filtered through GHM on a daily basis. Because of the great demand for timely information-sharing, GHM set up its own Facebook page (www.facebook.com/globalhealthministry) to post regular updates on fundraising efforts, upcoming medical missions and the situation on the ground in Haiti.

This outpouring of global support via social media outlets continued through the days and weeks after the earthquake. Relief organizations posted photos and updates on their websites, as well as on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. This information was reposted and retweeted over and over in unprecedented numbers. In addition, social media game developers joined the fold. Zynga, the developer of Facebook favorites such as Farmville and Mafia Wars, raised over $1.5 million by selling ‘limited edition’ virtual items to its game users—and 100 percent of the proceeds were donated to the World Food Program in what became the first use of social games for philanthropic causes.

Disaster Response“For it is in giving that we receive.” – St. Francis of Assisi

There are several schools of thought on why response to a disaster or tragedy that occurs thousands of miles away affects so many, so greatly. After a natural disaster like an earthquake, some individuals are left thinking, “It could have been me,” triggering an empathic connection to the victims. For some, a ‘shared experience’ motivates them—a person who has been through a similar disaster may be able to relate to the helplessness felt after such a tragic event. Individuals also may feel a sense of guilt because images constantly shown in the media are reminders of how much they have and how little others have.

And still for others, it is simply the ‘warm glow’ effect they feel when they give to others. A 2006 study cited in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that when humans derive




St. James Mercy Health System (Hornell, N.Y.) organized a bake sale to raise funds for Haiti relief efforts. The baked goods, as well as 60 pizzas donated by a local business owner, raised over $1,000 for GHM.

The St. Joseph of the Pines (Southern Pines, N.C.) community joined together in a service of remembrance and hope for Haiti with associates, residents, volunteers, family members and members of the community. Rev. Carl Naylor, director of mission outreach, led an assemblage of holy people in the Chapel of Belle Meade.

St. Mary’s Health Care System (Athens, Ga.) urged colleagues to donate via Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross or GHM. They published regular updates from CHE and provided names of colleagues who were interested in participating in a Haiti mission. They also held a special luncheon event, featuring 2009 GHM volunteer, Karen Joyce, R.N., director, home health care/hospice services.

St. Mary Medical Center (Langhorne, Pa.) sponsored the first GHM mission to Haiti in January, which included two St. Mary colleagues: Steven Lowe, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, and Col. Paulette Schank, C.R.N.A., a nurse anesthetist and U.S.A.F. reservist. A blessing ceremony was held for Haiti native Murielle Jeantry, telemetry nurse, and Jill Simon, pediatric nurse practitioner, before they departed for Haiti in March to provide medical services to patients at Hospice St. Joseph.

St. Peter’s Health Care Services (Albany, N.Y.) sent out regular updates to all colleagues, encouraging them to donate to GHM, Catholic Relief Services, American Red Cross and Partners in Health. They also provided names of colleagues interested in joining a mission to Haiti to the state.

Internet access to communicate with loved ones in Haiti.

Saint Michael’s Medical Center (Newark, N.J.) began collecting funds shortly after the earthquake on behalf of GHM. In February, they held a Hearts for Haiti fundraising event, selling red, white and pink carnations to colleagues, patients and visitors to benefit GHM and colleagues directly affected by the earthquake.

Jill Griffin, M.D., a staff physician in the emergency department at Mercy Medical Center, part of Sisters of Providence Health System (Springfield, Mass.), contacted Agape Flights, a non-profit Christian ministry that provides critical services to Caribbean missionaries. Agape received donations of medical supplies; but didn’t have medical personnel to prioritize them for transport. Dr. Griffin helped sort the supplies until a flight into Haiti became available. In addition, colleagues raised over $4,500 with its “Hearts Across the Ocean” fundraising campaign.

The pastoral care department at St. Francis Hospital (Wilmington, Del.) collected financial contributions to support the rebuilding of Hospital St. Francis de Sales. Regular Haiti updates were also posted on the hospital Facebook page.

St. Francis Medical Center (Trenton, N.J.) student nurse practitioner, Anne Bouchard, R.N., collected used orthopedic equipment to send to quake victims. Her husband is a physician involved in the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Haitian Doctors Abroad. She collected canes, walkers, crutches and wheelchairs.

Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania colleagues collected vitamins, medications and other supplies. Colleagues also collected over $6,500 which was delivered directly to the people of Haiti through GHM. Lisa Medvetz, M.D., Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital (Darby, Pa.) surgeon, was part of GHM’s first mission to Haiti in January. In addition, the radiology department at Nazareth Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.) reached out to vendors for a donation of X-ray film. Their partner, CareStream Health, sent 25 cases to help ensure injured Haitians have access to diagnostic imaging.

Mercy Hospital (Miami, Fla.) created a Haiti disaster relief account at the Mercy Credit Union allowing associates to make donations by check, cash or account transfer. They also collected items such as clothing, non-perishable food, medical supplies, water, blankets, first-aid kits, diapers and formula.

Matthew Dial, a resident of Carroll Place, part of Mercy Medical (Daphne, Ala.), started a campaign to raise money to help Haiti. He networked his fundraising efforts through his personal contacts, the staff and residents, raising $1,500 for Haiti.

McAuley Ministries, the grant-making arm of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, donated $5,000 to Catholic Relief Services for emergency relief and an additional $5,000 to GHM for Hospital St. Francis de Sales. Also, Dr. Mary Carrasco, director of A Child’s Place at Mercy, and Smana Pamphile Clerfé, a crisis clinician at Mercy Behavioral Health, were part of a Pittsburgh delegation that rescued 53 children from an orphanage in Port-au-Prince.

Saint Joseph’s Health System (Atlanta, Ga.) set up a Haiti Communications Center to serve as a 24/7 resource center for colleagues impacted by the earthquake. The room featured a television broadcasting CNN, an Internet phone to contact loved ones and a computer with


To effect this mission:• We treat all persons whom we serve and with

whom we work with respect and compassion, calling forth their best human potential;

• We provide a full range of services that support healthy communities, including quality medical care and holistic approaches to healing body, spirit and mind;

• We collaborate with others who share a common mission and vision;

• We continually seek ways to assure access to services to persons most in need;

• We identify and develop leaders in Catholic health ministry; and

• We advocate public policies and initiatives, particularly those in the area of healthcare, that ensure quality of life for all.

Catholic Health East is a community of persons committed to being a transforming, healing presence within the communities we serve.

Reverence For Each Person We believe that each person is a manifestation of the sacredness of human life.

Community We demonstrate our connectedness to each other through inclusive and compassionate relationships.

Justice We advocate for a society in which all can realize their full potential and achieve the common good.

Commitment To Those Who Are Poor We give priority to those whom society ignores.

Stewardship We care for and strengthen the ministry and all resources entrusted to us.

CourageWe dare to take the risks our faith demands of us.

IntegrityWe keep our word and are faithful to who we say we are.

Inspired by our Mission and committed to our Core Values, Catholic Health East will achieve excellence in all we do, creating a system that empowers communities and individuals to achieve optimal health and quality of life.

ur Mission...O

ur Core Values...O

ur Vision...O

2 Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009 31Catholic Health East Community Benefit Annual Report 2009


Although the damage in Port-au-Prince is extensive, the worst-hit community was the town of Léogâne, situated atop the earthquake’s epicenter about 20 miles west of the capital. Nearly 80 to 90 percent of its buildings were destroyed and more than 20,000 people were killed. Also suffering extensive damage was the port town of Jacmel, situated on the southern coast of Haiti. Seventy percent of its buildings were destroyed.

Looking to the Future“L’Union Fait La Force”

The above motto is proudly displayed on Haiti’s flag. Its English translation, “Unity Makes Strength,” echoes CHE’s own—“Together we are so much more.” Never was this as true as during these last few months and will continue to be the over the next few years ahead.

Haiti will need a great deal of support to recover, rebuild and restabilize their infrastructure. Global Health Ministry and Catholic Health East are committed to rebuilding the Hospital St. Francis de Sales in Port-au-Prince and will continue to collaborate with its partners to raise the funds and provide the support needed to bring quality health care to the people of Haiti. The system-wide support of our Sponsors, board members, congregations and colleagues illustrates how we live our Core Values every day; it is the living embodiment of our Mission of being a transforming, healing presence in all of the communities we serve.

Catholic Health East System Office colleagues collected over $2,000 for rebuilding Hospital St. Francis de Sales. CHE also held a special chili sale, with homemade chili provided by John Ludwig, an ITSS colleague, and all proceeds were given to GHM. CHE also pledged $100,000 to GHM to help rebuild Hospital St. Francis de Sales.

Global Health Ministry sent two teams to provide medical care to earthquake victims. In Port-au-Prince, Léogâne and Jacmel, clinicians treated hundreds of patients and performed surgery in tents where churches and hospitals once stood. Regular updates about the ongoing needs of the people have been provided system-wide and the response has been overwhelming. In addition to the aforementioned efforts, there have been many other individual and organizational contributions from colleagues, foundations and sponsoring congregations far and wide.

The Numbers“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” – Psalm 50:15

The U.N. estimates that more than 230,000 people were killed in the Haiti earthquake and at least 300,000 more were injured. More than 1.5 million people are living in makeshift tent cities because they have lost their homes. Over 75 percent of the capital city was destroyed, including more than 100,000 homes, with an additional 200,000 sustaining severe damage; and more than 1,300 education centers and 50 hospitals collapsed.

Catholic Health East SponsorsCongregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Scranton, Pennsylvania

Franciscan Sisters of Allegany Allegany, New York

Hope Ministries Newtown Square, Pennsylvania

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Sisters of Providence Holyoke, Massachusetts

Sisters of St. Joseph St. Augustine, Florida

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas:

Mid-Atlantic Community Merion, Pennsylvania

New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community Buffalo, New York

Northeast Community Cumberland, Rhode Island

South Central Community Belmont, North Carolina

Catholic Health East Regional Health Corporations and Joint Operating AgreementsBayCare Health System Clearwater, Florida

Catholic Health Buffalo, New York

Holy Cross Hospital Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Lourdes Health System Camden, New Jersey

Maxis Health System Carbondale, Pennsylvania

Mercy Community Health West Hartford, Connecticut

Mercy Health System of Maine Portland, Maine

Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Mercy Hospital Miami, Florida

Mercy Medical Daphne, Alabama

Pittsburgh Mercy Health System Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Saint Joseph’s Health System Atlanta, Georgia

Saint Michael’s Medical Center Newark, New Jersey

Sisters of Providence Health System Springfield, Massachusetts

St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, Delaware

St. Francis Medical Center Trenton, New Jersey

St. James Mercy Health System Hornell, New York

St. Joseph of the Pines Southern Pines, North Carolina

St. Mary Medical Center Langhorne, Pennsylvania

St. Mary’s Health Care System Athens, Georgia

St. Peter’s Health Care Services Albany, New York

Catholic Health East Supportive Health CorporationsAllegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc.

Global Health Ministry

Stella Maris Insurance Company, Ltd.

Our HealthMinistry:Catholic Health East Sponsors and Organizations

che 2009 community benefit annual report

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