For Immediate Release 
March 19, 2020
Contact: Brian Reardon 

WASHINGTON, DC – The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) has joined with 17 other national organizations representing the nation’s hospitals, specialty and post-acute facilities, health professionals, clinical laboratories, health insurance providers, pharmacy benefit managers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers in calling on the Administration and Congress to take immediate and coordinated action to address the critical needs of capacity and supply in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint letter to the Vice President and congressional leaders, CHA and the other organizations emphasize the need to increase medical capacity and testing, enhance the national supply of critical medical equipment, protect front-line care providers and technicians, and improve coordination in treating patients.

“CHA and our partners from other health care organizations recognize the critical importance of the private sector and the government joining together for an urgent national response to this public health emergency. Our members are on the front lines caring for those affected and we must do everything we can to ensure they have the necessary resources to treat patients and be protected while delivering care,” said Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO, CHA.

Among the priorities outlined by our organizations include: 

• Ensuring a stable continuous supply of medical supplies by moving quickly to increase the production and distribution of items such as gowns, gloves, masks, testing materials and respiratory machines.
• Strengthening provider capacity by identifying and modifying properties and sites that can be used to deliver care, encouraging patients to use alternate sites of care such as telehealth, and providing regulatory flexibility for health professionals.
• Assuring there is continued access to critical medications and related goods, and that there are minimal supply chain disruptions. 

CHA is committed to working with our members and with health care and government leaders to address the many challenges we face as COVID-19 continues to affect more Americans.

» Download a PDF version of the statement

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The Catholic Health Association of the United States is the national leadership organization of the Catholic health ministry, representing the largest nonprofit provider of health care services in the nation.

• 1 in 7 patients in the U.S. is cared for in a Catholic hospital each day.
• Catholic health care, which includes more than 2,200 hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, systems, sponsors, and related organizations, serves the full continuum of health care across our nation.