DIOCESAN NEWS
09/11/09
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Let’s continue dialogue on health reform
(see related article)
By Sr. Mary Dorothea Sondgeroth, OP
      One cannot pick up a paper, watch TV, twitter, blog or email without the topic of health care reform coming to the fore. This complex issue is a mission imperative for St. Dominic Health Services (SDHS) and its subsidiaries. Reform legislation is under intense scrutiny by politicians, ethicists, economists, healthcare providers, physicians and consumers.
      Although these are challenging and uncertain times, SDHS and subsidiaries continue to live its mission in delivery of high quality, cost effective health care to all who come to St. Dominic’s.
      Entering into the dialogue on reform, St. Dominic’s is guided by its mission statement that maintains that all human life is sacred. It also follows the ethical and religious directives established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the principles for reform promoted by the Catholic Health Association. (CHA) These are:
      1. We believe that genuine health care reform is a moral imperative; therefore we call for a health care policy that respects and protects human life and dignity and advances universal coverage.
      2. We urge access for all with a special concern for those who are poor and vulnerable.
      3. We advocate pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and a variety of options involving both public and private sectors, including voluntary, religious, and not-for-profit organizations.
      4. We believe health care costs must be restrained, with all stakeholders, including government, employers, individuals, charitable organizations and health care providers, sharing the responsibility of financing.
      One of CHA’s messages to lawmakers is clear: “Health reform should not result in an expansion of abortion, and it must sustain conscience protections for healthcare providers who do not want to participate in abortions or other morally objectionable procedures.”
      These principles and statements help frame the structure for reform that hopefully will promote the nation’s well being and respect the dignity of every person.
      St. Dominic Hospital, having been established in 1946, is one of 624 Catholic hospitals in the United States. Last year St. Dominic Hospital admitted 22,721 patients. St. Dominic Hospital is known for its #1 rating in Mississippi for cardiac services and treatment of stroke.
      Nationally, St. Dominic’s has ranked in the top 10 percent for five years in a row as a “5-Star” stroke treatment hospital. St. Dominic Hospital continues to serve the people of Mississippi with compassionate care and respect regardless of income level or socioeconomic status.
      St. Catherine’s Village (SCV) is a continuing care retirement ministry that cares for the well and frail elderly. Siena Center, part of SCV, is one of 499 long-term nursing care facilities which provides excellent care to all residents even if their assets become depleted.
      Being mission driven and service oriented, St. Dominic’s health care services and programs extend far outside the hospital’s walls and into the community to have the greatest impact, especially for the underserved. The St. Dominic Community Health Clinic serving the uninsured, underserved and working poor treated over 11,000 patients last year.
      The St. Dominic Care-A-Van, a mobile health clinic provided over 17,000 contacts through health screenings and education programs last year.
      St. Dominic’s provided a significant benefit to both low income and the broader community of $22,515,066 in 2007. In addition, St. Dominic’s bore the Medicare shortfall of $11,251,020 (which is the difference between the cost and reimbursement of treating Medicare patients) plus bad debt expense of $12,368,375 (which is the cost of services determined to be uncollectible) resulting in the grand total of $46,134,461 that St. Dominic’s gave back to the community in this same year.
      We affirm Bishop William Murphy, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, who in his July 17, 2009 letter to Congress, asserts that health care is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity.
      “Health care is not just another issue for the church or for a healthy society. It is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity and a critical component of the Catholic Church’s ministry.
      “The church provides health care, purchases health care and picks up the pieces of the failing health care system.... Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation.”
      May we continue the dialog on health care reform and be vigilant and resolute in making our voices heard.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Sister Mary Dorothea Sondgeroth, OP, is chief executive officer of St. Dominic Health Services)

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