711 Silver Lake Drive
Danville, California 94526

THE INVISIBLE $52 BILLION ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

CATHOLIC HEALTHCARE ACCOUNTS FOR 20% OF THE U.S. HEALTHCARE MARKET BUT NOBODY KNOWS IT.

When you mention the Catholic Church everyone has an opinion. It seems it is an organization that many people love to hate. But when you mention Catholic Healthcare more often than not you encounter blank stares. No opinions, no arguments; for or against. It is almost as if Catholic Healthcare is a non-entity in the minds of many.

In a world where presidential primary candidates command 24 news coverage for raising $15-$20 million dollars, how is that an organization that applies $52 billion dollars in assets to help the sick is not worthy of at least honorable mention in the media?

The U.S. is faced with a growing health care crisis; the poor and uninsured can’t afford good medical care. Not only is it extremely difficult for these people today, the rising cost of healthcare is forever pushing these poor people further and further away from access to services that will save their life or the life of a family member. Catholic Healthcare is a major player in the U.S. healthcare market providing disproportionate coverage of the poor and uninsured. When you take the time to stop and think about it, this is not surprising. What is surprising, however, is the role that Catholic Healthcare is playing in working to reshape the very fiber of our healthcare system. Catholic Healthcare representatives have a seat at the table and are working with the healthcare community, at times taking leadership roles in finding practical, affordable solutions. While the issue of healthcare is often framed in the context of the poor, it really touches us all and we must become active participants in helping to find a solution so we can avoid the future as forecasted by the cartoonist Nicole Hollander, “In the future we’ll all have 15minutes of fame and 15 minutes of healthcare.”

Catholics at Work is proud to announce that Bill Cox, President and CEO of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care and Mary Jo Potter, Managing Partner of Highperlink will be our featured speakers on May 8, 2007. As CEO of the Alliance, Bill manages a statewide organization in which Catholic Health Care leaders collaborate to further the cause of Catholic Health Care in the State. The Alliance includes 63 hospitals, and is the largest state association of hospitals under a single form of sponsorship. Mary Jo has consulted to many health care organizations, including Kaiser, Genentech, and Affymetrix locally, and has spent over 20 years on Boards of Catholic Health Care organizations nationwide, including being Chair of the Board of CHW, the largest Catholic System on the West Coast.
Mr. Cox and Ms. Potter will take us behind the curtain and give us a glimpse of what Catholic Healthcare is really doing. They will share perspectives on the great contribution being made by the men and women who work in Catholic Healthcare hospitals. They will also share with us some of the daunting challenges that face Catholic Healthcare because of recent legislation and legal challenges. “Can you imagine what would happen to the total healthcare system in this country” Ms Potter says, “if Catholic Healthcare had to withdraw from the marketplace because they were being told that Catholic Values can no longer be the criterion for administering healthcare at Catholic hospitals.”
Alison Yount, vice president of Catholics@Work says “As joint speakers Bill and Mary Jo will surprise you with the role Catholic Healthcare is playing in helping the country find a solution to an incredibly difficult and complex problem. It is a subject that is or will touch all of us. We should all put this on our calendars”

As always, the Catholics@Work breakfast event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, May 8, 2007. A full buffet breakfast is served starting at 7:00 am (Mass is offered at 6:30am at the same location.) Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. To register visit http://www.catholicsatwork.org/EventDesc.aspx.

Official Website: http://www.CatholicsAtWork.org

Added by Thomas M. Loarie on April 16, 2007

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