In recent years, changing roles and responsibilities within CHA's sponsorship and mission services department and the addition of new team members has brought fresh perspectives to that department's work. When CHA released its vision statement and new strategic plan, the sponsorship and mission services group had the foundation for bringing more new ideas to the fore.
Members of the team say that they have been reimagining the type of programming they develop to meet the needs of members. This has resulted in new or updated offerings in the department's focus areas, which are mission, sponsorship, ministry formation, ethics, spiritual care and well-being. The department takes a cohesive, cross-disciplinary approach to its work, and it creates resources and programs that address CHA members' needs, as identified through surveys and other forms of engagement. All the department's activity is in service to CHA's members and guided by its strategic plan.
"We're working to speak with one voice," explains Diarmuid Rooney, CHA vice president, sponsorship and mission services. "We have more integration and collaboration, both within departments and with organizations outside CHA."
Vision, strategic plan
Rooney took the helm of the 12-member sponsorship and mission services department over two years ago. Since then, Lori Ashmore-Ruppel has been promoted to senior director, mission services management; Darren
Henson has been hired as senior director, ministry formation; and Sr. Teresa "Tere" Maya, CCVI, has been hired as senior director for theology and sponsorship.
The team has articulated its purpose through the departmental member statement: "Rooted in a spirit of excellence, we lead and nourish the ministry of Catholic health care through personalized service and innovative practices, enabling members to be effective and compassionate leaders in their commitment to whole-person care and the transformation of the communities that they serve."
The department already had been revitalizing its programming when the association released a new vision statement at the 2023 Catholic Health Assembly. That vision is: "We will empower bold change to elevate human flourishing."
Based on that vision, CHA developed a strategic plan that it released at the 2024 Catholic Health Assembly. That plan focuses on three pillars: care for all, health reimagined and united for change. The "united for change" pillar is the main area of concentration for the department. The group is framing its work under the concept of a united voice for the ministry.
Top focus areas
To carry out the strategic plan, CHA's sponsorship and mission services department continually facilitates virtual and in-person programming, both educational and formational, and provides resources for participants'
continued learning and growth. The goal is to help Catholic health systems and facilities remain committed to Jesus' mission of love and healing.
Through its mission services function, the department supports mission leaders with a variety of tools, resources, programs and gatherings to stay informed and connected across the Catholic health ministry.
Through its sponsorship function, the department provides ministry sponsors with consultation, programs, resources, sponsor formation and gatherings. The purpose is to assist sponsors in understanding and fulfilling their responsibilities with special attention to the formation of laypersons and vowed religious.
The department offers ministry formation experiences that allow Catholic health care associates to discover connections between their vocation and the healing ministry of Jesus. The department supports members with formation at all levels of the ministry, from bedside workers to executive leadership, board and sponsor members.
The ethicists in the department help member ministries navigate the complexities of providing Catholic health care in alignment with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services and church teaching in service to the ministry's shared commitment to upholding human dignity, promoting the common good, and providing whole-person care. CHA's ethicists provide this support through consultations, ethics education and formation, collaborative dialogue, sharing of best practices, and research and writing.
The department's spiritual care experts advocate for adequate staffing to ensure the sacramental and spiritual needs of patients and staff are addressed. Those experts consult with CHA members through advisory councils and board-certifying groups to address innovations and gaps that will better serve patients, families and co-workers. This includes addressing caregiver well-being.
And, through member advisory committees, CHA works with member systems to reimagine how they operationalize their commitment to human dignity, including through policies and programs.
Concentration on member priorities
Beyond the work that is core to their functional areas, the entire sponsorship and mission services department has been working together to address top member priorities.
Some recent programming includes the late January Sponsorship Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that drew 76 attendees to discuss how sponsors can help bring about bold change in Catholic health care. Attendees reviewed results from a recent sponsorship survey that found a priority for respondents is that the ministry recruit the next generation of sponsors. The survey also revealed the need for a strong, collective voice for sponsors so that they can influence change.
Other programming CHA has offered recently is its live formation session, Foundations of Catholic Health Care Leadership, which included eight consecutive weekly virtual sessions that ran from Jan. 30 to March 20. A new topic covered in foundations in the latest live version was Catholic health care's vision for eldercare and palliative care. Experts discussed how demographic, policy and societal forces are having an impact on care of elders and how the ministry can use palliative care and other practices to improve care for these elders.
A new offering is a series of weekly contemplations for the Lent and Easter season that the department launched on Ash Wednesday. Each of the 15 installments in the "Slow and Simple" series contains a card with images for people to reflect on as well as scripture, prayer and a link to an audio meditation.
Also, the department's ethicists are continuing to offer the monthly webinar series, "Emerging Topics in Catholic Health Care Ethics," which is in its second season. The most recent session, in March, featured Andrea Thornton, a theologian, bioethicist and mission director with Bon Secours Mercy Health, discussing the challenges of both honoring the dignity of all patients and also protecting health care staff from violence. (See story)
Rooney says of the ongoing work going on in the department: "In partnership with our members, we are boldly reimagining and reshaping the way forward, responding to emerging realities with shared purpose and creative resolve."
In the coming months, Catholic Health World is featuring a series of articles on the work happening in the sponsorship and mission department.