Five major Catholic organizations created a new coalition to address potentially devastating mandates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They unite their expertise in law, medicine, ethics, and public policy to ensure that Catholic health care is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
According to the National Catholic Register, the five organizations involved in launching the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance (CHCLA) are the Catholic Medical Association, the National Catholic Bioethics Center, the Catholic Benefits Association, the Catholic Bar Association, and the Christ Medicus Foundation.
An introductory event was held last Jan. 20 at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mission of the Alliance
The mission of the group is to support the rights of patients and professionals. They ensure that the health care received and provided aligns with the moral, ethical, and social teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church.
According to its official website, membership is available to anyone in the healthcare profession. Anybody practicing individually, in groups, hospitals, or other health systems can join the alliance. It is open to anyone with the same mission and vision of the organization in terms of academe, law, business, insurance, and advocacy.
Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska vouched for the track records of the organizations in the alliance. Their faithfulness to the teachings of the Catholic Church unites them despite their different expertise.
They can be an asset to Catholic bishops and everyone looking for a “one-stop-shop” for Catholic health care.
He explained that the alliance is facing issues dealing with moral and ethical issues on abortion, euthanasia, and gender dysphoria treatments. Other concerns pertain to vaccines and mandate business and legal aspects of healthcare, including complex insurance matters.
The alliance aims to do everything to help those involved in health care to focus on Jesus and continue to teach and witness the wonderful vision of the human person.
Pillars of the Alliance
The alliance is based on four pillars of “ongoing evangelization, education, advocacy, and mutual support to renew the Catholic health care.”
Christ Medicus Foundation Executive Director Louis Brown, who represents the foundation at the alliance, said that the foundations of the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance were laid more than a year ago. This was after Bishop Conley spoke about the need for a united organization sharing the said same vision.
The alliance will have a collaboration of best practices that can assist various Catholic healthcare entities in accomplishing their Catholic mission and identity.
Brown also added that the alliance would be the voice that defends the civil rights of medical conscience and religious freedom at the federal or state levels.
Meanwhile, Dr. Steven White, the alliance’s president, said that the Church’s social teachings provide a framework for Catholic health care. It ensures the dignity of the human person and the sanctity, subsidiarity and solidarity of life.
White also said that the group is already working on reform proposals. They are also planning their response to the looming HHS regulations with a united, clear, strong Catholic voice.
