As leaders in well-being, the Catholic health ministry is called to foster an environment of healing where patients, co-workers and the local community may flourish. Together, we represent a community of over 700,000 associates, united by the healing ministry of Jesus and the enduring vision of our founders, dedicated to advancing human flourishing.
Daily Reflections & Resources
Renew: Rhythms for Well-being
The Renew resources have been designed with your team huddle or department meeting in mind. Introduce these concepts by discussing the key questions provided for each day, engage in dialogue and explore how purposeful days can promote well-being and abundant living. May the podcasts, video reflections, articles and prayer resources support you to integrate well-being practices into your daily life and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Health Calls
CHA Podcasts
Season 3: Episode 16 - Well-being for Busy Health Care Leaders
Increased mindfulness is vital to our well-being, but it requires a significant time commitment. For those with full schedules, how do we begin to build these practices into our busy lives?
In a Health Calls special, Diarmuid Rooney, CHA's Interim Vice President of Sponsorship and Mission Services, and Jill Fisk, CHA's Director of Mission Services, discuss the benefits and importance of incorporating mindfulness exercises into our every day lives. They suggest a few easy ways to get started before Diarmuid leads listeners in a simple exercise that will refresh your spirit.
Resources:
- A Fresh Approach to Well-being in Health Care: A Health Calls Special Episode
- Visit CHA's ReNew Year page to explore a new foundational approach to Well-being in Catholic Health Care.
- "Be Still" Meditative Video
- "Peace in Anxiety" Meditative Video
- Read Sarah Reddin's recent Health Progress article, "Flourishing Through Formation: Catholic Identity Is Reinforced With Thoughtful Approaches"
- Contemplative Outreach, a spiritual network committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel
- Read Margaret J. Wheatley's article, "Can We Reclaim Time to Think?"
Season 3: Episode 15 - A Fresh Approach to Well-being in Health Care
Maintaining our own well-being can be a challenge in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with new ideas, challenges, and tasks. When everything feels so urgent, how do we re-orient our minds and take the time to slow down? In a Health Calls special, Diarmuid Rooney, CHA’s Interim Vice President of Sponsorship and Mission Services, and Jill Fisk, CHA’s Director of Mission Services, host an intentional, meditative conversation on well-being and its roots in Catholic health ministry. They discuss the Christian history of meditative practice as well as the benefits of mindfulness and meditation before Diarmuid leads listeners in a simple exercise that will refresh your spirit.
Resources:
Well-being Articles
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AprilIn separate episodes, eight executives explain what animates their work. Darren Henson, CHA senior director of ministry formation, developed the podcast. -
AprilCHA’s sponsorship and mission services department revitalizes its programming
Goal is to better equip ministry for the future. -
AprilCHI Memorial Hospital gets to the heart of reducing readmission rates for cardiac patients
Program hinges on coordination within hospital and communication with patients. -
March 2025Mission director discusses delicate balance of workplace safety, human dignity in mental health crises
In the gospel story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus encounters a man who could not be bound by shackles and chains or otherwise subdued. The man wandered among the tombs and the hillsides, crying out and cutting himself with stones. -
March 2025Fluid management programs at Mercy cardiovascular clinics keep heart patients out of hospitals
George Largent can’t praise the staff of the Mercy cardiovascular clinic in Joplin, Missouri, enough. “They’ll pray with you, cry with you, laugh with you, and hold your hand. And then tell you to stop eating salt,” he said, laughing. -
Spring 2025A Theological Response to the Isolation of Medical Displacement
Illness, impairment and pain are displacing experiences, separating a person from their sense of self and their community. This separation can occur in many forms. In my own life, my impairment, a permanent brachial plexus injury from birth, can come up in jarring ways. -
Spring 2025What Singing for Blood Taught Me
"I can't get 'the stick.' She won't let me near her." The third phlebotomist of the day walked out of Renee's room with an unused needle. Unless this patient's blood could be drawn to test it, I would have to discontinue clozapine, the only medication that reduced Renee's commanding voices to tolerable whispers. -
Spring 2025The Importance of Neurocritical Care: Saving Lives and Enhancing Recovery in Central Texas
"It happened so quickly. One moment she was perfectly fine, then the next, she stopped talking normally and slumped over," said Cindy's husband. "Will she ever be able to walk again? Will she be able to hold her children again?" -
Spring 2025Reclaiming the Spiritual Dimension of Health and Healing: A Seasoned Chaplain's Perspective
Holistic health care is a buzzword these days, written into the mission, vision and values of health care systems throughout the country. There's a good reason for this: more and more research points to the positive impact of treating the whole person on patient outcomes, patient and family satisfaction, and staff morale. -
Spring 2025The Unique Needs of Vowed Religious Elders in Long-Term Care
Growing old is not for the faint of heart, nor is caring for frail elders. This is particularly true when one is caring for retired sisters, priests and brothers who have lived lives vowed to God and service. Their unique perspectives on life, the sacrifices and adventures experienced during their ministries, and the challenges of living a vowed religious life deserve special efforts to ensure a high quality of life and enjoyment in their later years.