Sr. Patricia A. Eck, CBS, Named Sister Mary Concilia Moran Award Recipient By Catholic Health Association

Marriottsville, Maryland, April 18, 2007 - Sr. Patricia A. Eck, CBS, chairperson of the board of directors of Bon Secours Health System, has been named the 2007 Sister Mary Concilia Moran Award recipient by the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). This award will be presented to Sr. Pat at the association’s upcoming annual Assembly in June.

This prestigious award recognizes leadership in demonstrating commitment to further Catholic health care and making a difference in communities served. The annual award recognizes visionary leaders drawing attention to their innovative ideas, unique projects, or outstanding achievements in Catholic health care. It celebrates the lifelong contributions of Sister Moran, pioneer in the development of mission-effectiveness programs throughout the world, whose youthful spirit, contagious energy, and boundless joy challenged everyone she met to model servant leadership.
 
Sr. Pat’s 40-year health care career has included positions in nursing, management, and sponsorship within the Bon Secours Health System. She was the first full time chairperson of the BSHSI Board of Directors, and her leadership has given a whole new focus to our organization’s awareness and understanding of governance. She is also a past chairperson of CHA. Sr. Pat is respected by both church and health care leaders alike for her understanding and integration of the ministry and business of healthcare. She has been recognized nationally for her leadership in creating an alignment between sponsorship and governance. Sr. Pat, for example, was the driving force behind the development of a new form of sponsorship for BSHSI that allowed the formation of Bon Secours Ministries, where laity join the Sisters of Bon Secours as sponsors of the health system. This sponsorship model has been recognized and commended by the Vatican.

Sr. Pat has never wavered from her commitment to take actions that ensure the preferential option for the care of those who are poor and marginalized. This has been a motivating force in all ministries in which she has served, whether in Baltimore, Richmond, Michigan or in her role leading BSHSI or as a member of the Sisters of Bon Secours Leadership Team. In her current role as chair of Mercy Housing, Sr. Pat has also championed the importance of affordable housing.

“Sr. Pat is truly a leader in Catholic health care today and well deserving of the Sister Mary Concilia Moran Award,” says Richard J. Statuto, president and CEO of Bon Secours Health System. “She is passionately committed to doing the right thing and to using her God given gifts in service to others.”