Catholic Hospital Research Paper

The church and health care have been tightly interwoven since the beginning of Christianity, and a large percentage of hospitals in the United States today are Catholic owned. As modern medicine continues to evolve and progress with society, one wonders if the values and policies set by Catholic hospitals are still relevant in our world today. The Catholic Church remains clear on their view of certain current issues surrounded with debate like contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. While some debate over if Catholic hospitals should instill new policies that keep up with modern times, I feel like a large issue is being overlooked. The work Catholic hospitals have done, and continue to do, for vulnerable populations establish the church’s

The council’s “emphasis on human dignity and justice, as opposed to charity, prompted a worldwide reassessment of Catholic social policy that led institutional Catholicism to become and international defender of human rights” (Bell). This lead to social justice efforts, put forth by religious orders, which emphasized helping the “poor and dispossessed” (Bell). The church has stated their emphasis on helping those who are less fortunate than others, and fighting for those people to get the care they deserve. The Catholic hospitals do not just want to go out into the world and find these troubled populations and cure them with the hope of appearing more gracious and charitable, they truly want to heal people and connect their minds and bodies. Health care providers truly dedicated to the missions of the hospitals should be “practicing medicine in a way that attends to both the body and spirit of patients “ (Sullivan). I believe that this aspect of Christian health care is incredibly important in the modern world. While focusing on curing actual disease processes is vital in the current world of medicine, I feel that the mind and spirit are just as imperative. One of my clinicals for nursing was Loyola’s hospital in Maywood, and every week when I would drive their I would pass a billboard with their mission statement, which is “we treat the human spirit.”

In John Paul II’ letter Novo Millennio Inuente, he states “Christians must learn to make their act of faith in Christ by discerning His voice in the cry for help that rises from this world of poverty” (John Paul II). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, thirty-four million people live below the poverty line. This fact is so shocking to me. The amount of people who struggle so greatly to get by is extremely disheartening. As the largest non-governmental provider of heath care in the United States, the Catholic Church has put forth many efforts to overcome poverty. Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is a foundation that was created in 1910 at Catholic University of American in Washington, D.C. This foundation and “its national network of social service agencies are on the front lines of responding to the needs of those living in poverty” (5). They have created countless programs and services to combat poverty in the United States. Several efforts towards health care, job creation, housing programs, and prevention of hunger have been enacted under their control. This program’s valiant effort to treat poverty from every angle reflects the church’s overall vision on what needs to be done for the poor. A crucial aspect of the Catholic Church and associated hospitals work for the poor is the fact that they help overcome every obstacle a person living in poverty faces. The overall health of a