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Trinity Health and Catholic Healthcare Partners Urge Political Leaders to Lead the Way to Coverage and Access for All Americans

Trinity Health and Catholic Healthcare Partners stage Advocacy Action tour to accelerate the debate on health care reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 5, 2007) – Trinity Health and Catholic Healthcare Partners met with dozens of elected officials and policy makers in Washington D.C. to discuss opportunities and obstacles facing millions of Americans who lack basic health insurance coverage and access to quality care.

A key topic of discussion with elected Senators and Representatives was the groups’ Communities Building Access Act (HR 1683), introduced March 27 in the U.S. House of Representatives by Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) and Bart Stupak (D-MI).  The proposal would provide $45 million in federal grants to spark locally focused solutions to the national issue.  The start-up dollars would be available to local communities that develop a plan based on two successful models: the Access Health program in Muskegon, Mich., and the CareNet program in Toledo, Ohio.  Both programs have demonstrated success in extending coverage and access to thousands of working families.

"As a nation, we should no longer tolerate a system that leaves nearly 45 million people without insurance and adequate access to health care,” said Trinity Health President and CEO Joseph Swedish. "The Communities Building Access Act provides the means for the United States government to strengthen community safety nets and help small firms purchase health insurance.  It has the potential to improve the health and well-being of countless lives, based upon proven models of success.”

Trinity Health and CHP want legislators to sponsor and pass the Communities Building Access as an interim step designed to generate lessons for health care reform.

“We as a nation must seek out innovative solutions such as the Communities Building Access Act to ensure coverage and access for all people," said Michael Connelly, President and CEO of Catholic Healthcare Partners. “Based on our values, Catholic Healthcare Partners and Trinity Health are calling for systemic healthcare reform to achieve coverage and access for everyone in a cost-effective system of care.”

During Trinity Health’s Advocacy Action tour, chief executives and advocacy liaisons from 20 hospitals and organizations met with Senators and Representatives from 34 districts.  They discussed the role their organizations can play in improving fundamental access and coverage, health information technology, and quality care delivery.  Catholic Healthcare Partners sent 19 representatives to the Capitol Hill to meet with 24 Senators and Representatives.

In addition to discussing ideas for systemic health care reform, Trinity Health leaders encouraged public officials to consider the following:

• Reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) so that it can cover all uninsured children. 
• Reject the proposals for regulatory Medicaid cuts .
• Drive quality and efficiency through Medicare payment reform and the passage of health information technology legislation.

“Our visits on Capitol Hill underscored the fact that it is entirely within our nation’s reach to achieve a cost-effective system of care for all Americans,” Swedish said. “Our organizations recognize that coverage, costs and coordination of care are related, and that all need to be addressed through system reform.  We have been developing our own document called Essential Elements for Reform and have been intentional about ensuring that Trinity Health strategies are contributing to a more effective and efficient health care delivery system.”
 
Trinity Health organizations taking part in Advocacy Action represented communities in seven states:

Michigan

• The participating organizations were Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, Ann Arbor; Battle Creek Health System; Mercy Hospital – Grayling; Mercy Hospital – Cadillac; Saint Mary’s Health Care, Grand Rapids; St. Mary Mercy Hospital, Livonia; Mercy General Health Partners, Muskegon; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac; Mercy Hospital – Port Huron; St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Macomb County; Mercy Primary Care Center, Detroit.

Elected officials met included Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI); Rep. John Dingell (D-MI); Sen. Carol Levin (D-MI); Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI); Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI); Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI); Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI); Rep. Thaddeous McCotter (R-MI); Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI); Rep. Candace Miller (R-MI); Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI); Rep.  Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI)

Iowa

• Hospitals represented by Mercy Health Network (a joint operating agreement with Catholic Health Initiatives) included Mercy Medical Centers in Dubuque, Mason City, Des Moines, Sioux City and Clinton.  They met with Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA); Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA); Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA); Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA); Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA); Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

Indiana

• St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend, Ind. met with Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN); Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN); and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN).

Maryland

• Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md., met with Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD), and Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD).

Ohio

• Mount Carmel Health System, Columbus, met with Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH); Rep. David Hobson (R-OH); Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH); Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH); and Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH).

Idaho

• St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, had meetings with Rep. Bill Sali (R-ID); Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID); Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID); Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID).

About Trinity Health
With hospitals in eight states, Trinity Health is the fourth-largest Catholic health care system in the country. Based in Novi, Mich., Trinity Health owns or manages 46 hospitals, 26 nursing homes and seniors housing communities; 379 outpatient facilities, 26 long-term care facilities, and numerous home health offices and hospice programs.  Employing approximately 45,100 full-time staff, Trinity Health reported $6.1 billion in unrestricted revenue and $307.0 million in community benefit ministry in fiscal year 2006. For more information about Trinity Health, visit www.trinity-health.org.

About Catholic Healthcare Partners
CHP is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S.  Employing more than 34,000 full-time and part-time employees, CHP consists 100+ organizations, including 29 hospitals that serve the healthcare needs of persons in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and contiguous states.  Nine CHP regions oversee integrated health systems, acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, housing sites for the elderly, home health, hospice, outreach programs, wellness centers and other organizations that provide diversified healthcare services.  As a mission-driven health system, CHP was proud to provide $273 million in community benefit in 2006.

Orest Holubec, CHP
(513) 639-2841, ohholubec@health-partners.org
www.health-partners.org

Kevin DiCola, Trinity Health
(248) 489-6032, dicolak@trinity-health.org
www.trinity-health.org