CLEVELAND, OHIO (July 6, 2015) — Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, was installed on June 8 as the Board Chair of the Catholic Health Association (CHA), the nation’s largest group of health care providers dedicated  to advancing Catholic health ministry in the United States.

Karam, who serves as Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, is one of the few remaining women religious in Catholic health care leadership nationally. A longtime president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System, she also served in that role at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center—the congregation’s oldest hospital—celebrating its 150^th anniversary this year. Currently, Karam serves as chair of the public juridic person (PJP), the sponsoring body comprised of lay and religious persons charged with corporate decision-making for all of the Sisters of Charity Health System’s sponsored ministries.

“Catholic hospitals such as St. Vincent Charity Medical Center often provide more than just health care,” said David F. Perse, MD, president and CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. “Sister Judith Ann’s leadership and understanding of health care as a ministry is an example to us all. We are proud that her voice will lead the discussion on a national stage.”

Karam’s installation coincided with the CHA Centennial Assembly event, which also featured a keynote address by President Barack Obama on the five-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In her address to the Assembly, Karam shared that the new definition of health that focuses on overall expansion including wellness and preventive care has always been a part of Catholic health care. “The direction of today is what Catholic health care is all about—care for the whole person (mind, body and spirit),” she said.

Catholic health care is present in all 50 states with 1 in 6 patients in the U.S. cared for in a Catholic hospital. The majority of Catholic hospitals (66%) are located in metropolitan areas. The hospitals are noted for high quality and innovative care.  Here in Northeast Ohio, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in downtown Cleveland is joined by its sister hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake, a joint venture with University Hospitals, and Mercy Medical Center in Canton.

While terms such as population health, integrated delivery networks and patient-centered care are buzzwords that grew out of the Affordable Care Act, they have long been the practice of Catholic hospitals that expand beyond their four walls and into communities through outreach, palliative care, long-term care, home health, neighborhood development and educational partnerships.

Priorities for Karam’s term as board chair include: ensuring that health care remains a right for all; paying specific attention to the poor, especially in light of financial challenges; succession planning in ministry; and preparing for a future that includes more complex ethical issues.

Karam added that as the ministry resets business models to adapt to health reform, Catholic health care can continue to build upon its rich legacy of delivering person-centered, holistic care while also addressing community needs. “I serve with an exceptional, dedicated team to meet the challenges of our day.  At a time when many in healthcare nationally seek to do only that which is profitable, our faith demands that those working in Catholic hospitals do that which is just.  We are our sisters and brothers keepers.  It is an inherent part of our mission, a call we are privileged to live each day.”

Recalling how, 100 years ago, CHA’s founders recognized the need to unite the church’s ministries to protect Catholic health care’s work and identity, Karam said the answer today is to continue to come together. “Collectively, we are the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the world.  There is great strength in that,” she said. “More importantly, it is a great responsibility, and we embrace the opportunity to provide the highest quality care for every person in the communities we serve and at the same time to bring peace and dignity to the least among us in their most vulnerable moments.”