Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1353232
31 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 31 CEO / STRATEGY 23 Catholic health systems team up to combat racism, promote health equity By Kelly Gooch T wenty-three Catholic health systems nationwide have joined with the Cath- olic Health Association of the United States in a commitment to combat systemic racism and achieve health equity, the associ- ation said. e new membership-driven initiative was announced in a Feb. 4 news release. e pledge includes prioritizing equity in re- sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as examining and changing hiring, promotion and retention practices, and being involved in stronger partnerships with communities of color to improve health outcomes. It also includes supporting policy changes that ad- dress racism and social injustice. "COVID-19's greater impact on commu- nities of color and the police killings of George Floyd and others demonstrate the urgent need to address the devastating im- pact racism has on the health and well-be- ing of individuals and communities," Sister Mary Haddad, the Catholic Health Associ- ation's president and CEO, said in the news release. "We in the Catholic health ministry, responding to the Gospel mandate for jus- tice, are called to renew our commitment to eliminate the racial inequities in our commu- nities and to acknowledge and confront our own shortcomings so that we can become agents of healing and positive change." Health systems that have signed the pledge: Ascension (St. Louis) Avera Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Benedictine (Hermantown, Minn.) Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati) Christus Health (Irving, Texas) CommonSpirit Health (Chicago) Covenant Health (Tewksbury, Mass.) Elizabeth Seton Children's (Yonkers, N.Y.) Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (Baton Rouge, La.) Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Spon- sored Ministries (Manitowoc, Wis.) Holy Redeemer Health System (Meadow- brook, Pa.) Hospital Sisters Health System (Springfield, Ill.) Mercy (St. Louis) Mercy Health Services (Baltimore) MercyOne (Des Moines, Iowa) Peace Care St. Ann's (Jersey City, N.J.) PeaceHealth (Vancouver, Wash.) Providence St. Joseph Health (Renton, Wash.) SCL Health (Broomfield, Colo.) Sisters of Charity Health System (Cleveland) SMP Health System (Fargo, N.D.) SSM Health (St. Louis) Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.) n Competing hospitals team up to fill emergency care gap in rural South Carolina By Katie Adams B on Secours St. Francis and the Medical Univer- sity of South Carolina, two healthcare provid- ers in Greenville County, S.C., are teaming up to address the lack of emergency medical services in the northern part of the county, according to a Feb. 15 Greenville News report. Greenville County officials and residents have been worried about the scarcity of emergency services in the area since Greenville-based Prisma Health said Nov. 5 that it would not reopen its emergency de- partment that it closed in April 2020. The health system is closing the department due to a lack of emergency patients. Bon Secours St. Francis and the Medical University of South Carolina are working with local officials to determine the next steps necessary to fill the area's emergency care gap. n HCA to advise Tennessee art center, symphony on resuming live performances By Hannah Mitchell N ashville, Tenn.-based TriStar Health, part of Nash- ville-based HCA Healthcare, entered a two-year partnership with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Nashville Symphony to help the organiza- tions implement guidelines to safely reopen. Through the partnership, infectious disease experts from HCA and TriStar will give ongoing counsel to guide health precautions at the facilities. The healthcare organizations will also provide COVID-19 testing resources for artists and staff, an assessment of current changes needed and com- munity outreach. HCA is also providing financial support with a grant from its foundation. The partnership is hoping to reach 450,000 patrons, students and teachers TPAC esti- mates it serves each year. "Partnering with HCA/TriStar brings their expertise to that commitment and sets the stage for a rousing second act when we can again bring our community together through the arts," said Jennifer Turner, TPAC president and CEO. n