Bon Secours & Canterbury Partnership for Care Hospital Named in Recent Study Confirming the Safety Net Role of Catholic Hospitals

Marriottsville, MD -- A study released yesterday at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol by the Catholic Health Care Association of the United States (CHA) confirms the prominent role that many Catholic hospitals play in providing health care as a safety net for the uninsured and underinsured.  In addition, findings of the research have potential bearing on future public policy. St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken, New Jersey, a member of the Bon Secours & Canterbury Partnership for Care, is one of seven case studies highlighted in the study, which was conducted by Georgetown University’s Institute for Health Care Research and Policy.

Sr. Pat Eck, Chairperson of the Catholic Health Association Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Bon Secours Health System (BSHSI), spoke at the press conference on the mission of the Catholic health ministry. “The mission of Catholic health care is the driving force behind why we have always cared for every member of our community, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic class. We have always believed that every person is a treasure, every human life a gift. This has been – and remains – at the heart of the Catholic health care ministry across our 275 years of caring and service in this country,” said Eck.

The study, A Commitment to Caring, The Role of Catholic Hospitals in the Health Care Safety Net, is based on case studies of seven Catholic hospitals and their roles in their community’s health care safety net.  St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken, New Jersey, was one of the closest facilities to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. The hospital staff responded.  In collaboration with local emergency medical personnel, they attended to more than 5,800 people arriving at the Hoboken waterfront, decontaminating about one-fourth of them, and treating more than 100 patients, according to Eck.

 “Catholic health care is truly grounded in the belief that there is an inherent dignity of every individual. We promote and defend this dignity by our words and the healing actions of the women and men who serve in our facilities every day. As provider, employer, advocate, citizen, we strive to maintain an open door policy in order to serve as an integral party of our communities’ health care safety net,” said Eck.

 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 41 million Americans are without health insurance, and the ranks of the uninsured are continuing to grow. This increased demand and declining reimbursements have placed severe fiscal pressure on many Catholic providers, according to Fr. Michael D. Place, CHA president and chief executive officer.

In the United States, Bon Secours Health System owns, manages or joint ventures 24 acute-care hospitals, one psychiatric hospital, and nine nursing care facilities, along with numerous ambulatory sites, eight assisted living facilities, two retirement communities,

home health care services and hospice. BSHSI’s more than 28,000 caregivers help people in 15 communities in nine states, primarily on the East Coast. The Congregation of Sisters of Bon Secours also has health care ministries in France, Ireland, Great Britain and South America.

Bon Secours is focused on a vision of  “becoming a leader in Catholic health ministry compassionately, reaching beyond the tradition to improve the communities it serves. All of its facilities are dedicated to the Sisters’ mission of providing “Good Help to Those in Need.”