Catholic Health Initiatives enhances communities through compassion, partners

There are currently eight CHI hospitals based in the Archdiocese, including CHI St. Luke’s Health. Founded in 1954, the former St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital joined CHI in 2013.

According to Michael Sullivan, FACHE, Director of Healthy Communities with CHI St. Luke’s Health, the health care network is dedicated to a mission of enhancing community health through high-quality, cost-effective care and compassion in caring for the whole person while creating healthier communities.

“Health is not merely the absence of illness or the presence of physical health,” Sullivan said. “Achieving a truly healthy community encompasses — or works toward — all the elements that lead to health.”

CHI St. Luke’s works towards that goal through their commitment to community service via organized and sustained benefit programs providing free and discounted care to those unable to afford health care.

“We cannot build healthy communities by staying within the confines of our hospitals, long-term care centers and other facilities and organizations — even our clinically integrated practices,” Sullivan said. “It is essential that we get out into the community to work with others to create new, values-based and progressive models for community health and well-being.”

To accomplish this quest, CHI St. Luke’s Health have formed partnerships which allow them to respond to the community’s needs in a manner that is cohesive, comprehensive and consistent to their core values, which includes honoring the dignity of the human person, caring for the poor and responsible stewardship.

Among those collaborating with CHI St. Luke’s is Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston. Both entities join forces annually to present the kNOw Poverty program, focusing on eliminating poverty one person at a time by defining solutions to real problems in the City of Houston. In addition, the health network’s partnership with the United Against Violence initiative has heightened CHI St. Luke’s Health commitment to advancing a culture of non-violence. CHI has also paired up with United Way of Greater Houston in bringing the 2-1-1 Listening Stations to those seeking help finding care for children or aging parents or a haven from domestic violence. 

Another partner of CHI St. Luke’s is the San José Clinic (SJC), which has collaborated with CHI St. Luke’s Health since they initially came into Houston three years ago. SJC, a United Way agency and a ministry of the Archdiocese, provides healthcare and education to those with limited access to such services. 

Through SJC’s Congestive Heart Failure Collaboration, uninsured patients from the CHI St. Luke’s health transition clinics come to SJC for care. At the Clinic, these patients have the safety of consistent care, the convenience of SJC’s on-site pharmacy and access to healthcare specialists. CHI St. Luke’s Health has also been working to help expand services available at the clinic. Some aspects of this expansion will include supporting an Electronic Medical Records system for patients’ health history and treatment, as well as funding more medical professionals to increase the Clinic’s patient capacity.

CHI St. Luke’s Health is also a sponsor of the Clinic’s Fall Speaker Series.

“This partnership is a wonderful way for the clinic to continue to fulfill our mission by providing quality healthcare to those in need,” said Paule Anne Lewis, SJC executive director. “San José Clinic and CHI St. Luke’s Health are grounded in providing quality care as a ministry of Jesus Christ. We are both dedicated to honoring the dignity of each person that passes through our doors as we work to improve the health of our community.”

For more, visit www.chistlukeshealth.org.