91st Catholic Health Assembly to Explore New Strategies to Expand and Enhance Services for Persons in Need

Catholic health ministry leaders from across the nation are gathering in Orlando for the 91st Catholic Health Assembly, June 4-6. The assembly is the largest annual gathering of Catholic health care leaders.

Guided by the theme "Always With Us: Living Our Commitment to Persons In Need," the more than 1,000 participants will explore Catholic Church's preferential option for persons most in need. They will teach and learn from one another as they focus on practical experiences and leading practices. Topics to be explored include: tackling health care disparity, expanding access to care, enhancing patient care and safety, improving care for persons with life-threatening illnesses, and identifying outcome measures within community benefit programs.

The assembly's roster of general session speakers includes:

- Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., MD, founder and volunteer medical director of the Camillus Health Concern, a Miami health care clinic where more than 10,000 homeless men, women and children receive care every year. He will deliver the assembly's keynote address. (Sunday, June 4, 2:30 p.m. EDT)

- Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and chief executive officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ, and Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, scension Health, St. Louis, will address a ministry priority of covering the uninsured and expanding access to care. In doing so, they will discuss the need for strong grassroots support for positive change based on themes proven through public perception research that are proven to resonate with the public. (Monday, June 5, 9:45 a.m. EDT)

- Mary Pipher, PhD, therapist and best-selling author, Lincoln, NE, and Sr. Karin Dufault, SP, RN, PhD, executive director, Supportive Care Coalition: Pursuing Excellence in Palliative Care, Portland, OR, will speak from their experiences as caregivers in discussing the need to address the mental health of our increasing number of older people as well as addressing with compassion and dignity the journey at the end of life. (Tuesday, June 6, 9:15 a.m. EDT)

- Most Reverend William S. Skylstad, DD, bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, WA, and president, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC, will reaffirm the important place the Catholic health ministry has within the Catholic Church in America. (Tuesday, June 6, 11:15 a.m. EDT)

Complete assembly program information is available online at http://www.chausa.org/assembly . The assembly headquarters hotel is the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center.

The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), founded in 1915, supports the Catholic health ministry's pursuit of the strategic directions of mission, ethics, and advocacy. As the nation's largest group of not-for-profit sponsors, systems, and facilities, the ministry is committed to improving the health status of communities and creating quality and compassionate health care that works for everyone. For more information, visit the CHA website at http://www.chausa.org.