WASHINGTON, DC (April 16, 2010) — The following statement is being released by Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, president and chief executive office of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA):

The Catholic Health Association has long championed the rights of all patients to designate who they want to speak for them in health care decisions when they are not able to speak for themselves. Having that person clearly designated is not only a basic human right, it also greatly facilitates care.

All persons of goodwill can understand and agree that when a person is sick, they deserve to decide who they want to visit them.

The Presidential Memorandum issued by President Obama reaffirms these basic human rights for each person at the most critical points of their lives.

The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), founded in 1915, supports the Catholic health ministry's commitment to improve the health status of communities and create quality and compassionate health care that works for everyone. The Catholic health ministry is the nation's largest group of not-for-profit health systems and facilities that, along with their sponsoring organizations, employ more than 750,000 women and men who deliver services combining advanced technology with the Catholic caring tradition.