Catholic Health Initiatives
Catholic Health Initiatives is a national nonprofit health system with headquarters in Inverness, Colorado.[1] The faith-based system operates in 17 states and includes 78 hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; two community health-services organizations; two accredited nursing colleges; and home health agencies. In fiscal year 2012, CHI provided more than $715 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. With total annual revenues of more than $10.7 billion and approximately 83,000 employees, CHI ranks as the nation’s second-largest faith-based health system.
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History [edit]
In early 1995, a group of Catholic health care leaders began to explore ways to strengthen the health ministry for the future. Sponsors of Catholic health ministries realized that the evolving health care environment would require a radical change in organizational structures.
They envisioned a national Catholic health ministry, sponsored and governed by an equal religious-lay partnership, which would live out its mission by transforming health care delivery and creating new ministries to promote healthy communities.
Organizers named the new organization Catholic Health Initiatives and approved a mission statement. CHI began operation July 1, 1996.
The founding systems were:
- Catholic Health Corporation of Omaha, NE
- Franciscan Health System of Aston, PA
- Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems of Cincinnati, OH
In September 1997, The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Health System, Nazareth, KY, consolidated with Catholic Health Initiatives, adding nine acute care facilities in three states to the system.
Controversy [edit]
In January 2013, the hospital provoked controversy by arguing in a defense to a wrongful death lawsuit that unborn fetuses should not be classed as persons, contradicting official Catholic doctrine.[2] The hospital association does not have any active priests on its board and the president of the board, Fr. Thomas Kopfensteiner, has argued positions tolerant of abortion against Catholic teaching in the past. [3]
References [edit]
- ^ The postal designation of Englewood, a city some seven miles west, is used in the headquarters’ mailing address.
- ^ Tomasic, John (23 January 2013). "In malpractice case, Catholic hospital argues fetuses aren’t people". The Colorado Independent. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0405868.htm. Missing or empty
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