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We are rooted
MISSION WEEK 2022 CELEBRATES THE VALUES THAT GUIDE ASCENSION
This year, associates recognized Mission Week with the theme “We are Rooted” by celebrating the roots and the Values that guide Ascension. The Ascension Values — Service of the Poor, Reverence, Integrity, Wisdom, Creativity and Dedication — were originally defined by associates and form the character and substance of our culture, actions and service.
“As we live our Mission, these Values help us fulfill our commitments to one another and to those we serve,” said Tom VanOsdol, MS, MA, FACHE, Executive Vice President and Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension. “Our Values bring to life our deepest beliefs and ultimate concerns, reflecting the Gospel of God’s great love and God’s desire for all to flourish. Our Values are what call us to and root us in the work of ABIDE — Appreciation - Belongingness - Inclusivity - Diversity - Equity.”
Throughout the week in May, associates were invited to participate in daily reflections in addition to in-market activities and service events, including informal chats with leaders for idea sharing and blessings of hands ceremonies. A System-wide virtual prayer service that coincided with the Feast of the Ascension was another unifying element. The feast day has significance in the life of the Church, marking when Jesus ascended to heaven after his Resurrection and sent forth his disciples to continue his healing ministry. It is the inspiration for the name of our healing ministry. The prayer service included reflections from leaders, an opportunity to share prayer intentions and a Values Commissioning of all attendees.
Associates were encouraged to visit a webpage with reflection resources to deepen their own spiritual practice. There, associates were also given the opportunity to submit their own reflection to share with others. The website includes a 30-day journey of meditation and reflection. This resource invites participants to cultivate self-awareness, provides tools for self-regulation, and leads to the flourishing of self-compassion and compassion for others. Mission Integration is working on a digital resource library with even more content for associates.
“Given our lived experiences of the past two years, Mission Week invited us to pause and reflect on our calling and the why behind our work,” Tom said. “As Mission Integration continues to grow a robust online presence, we are hopeful that these tools will be readily available for associates and physicians to access and draw upon as vital supportive resources as they live out our Mission throughout the communities we’re so blessed to serve every day.”
Kelly Huebler, Senior Speech Language Pathologist, Rehabilitation, left, and Beth McCoy, Physical Therapist, Rehabilitation, examine a mask that was part of an art display during Mission Week at Ascension Saint Agnes in Baltimore. The mask, created by the hospital’s Mission and Ministry Council and Art Exhibition Team, represented how caregivers provided a healing presence and excellent care while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers were asked to write words of comfort and care spoken to others on one side of the mask and thoughts and feelings they had kept inside on the other side.
A deep dedication to caring for all
SR. MAUREEN MCGUIRE HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sr. Maureen McGuire, DC, was honored with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Catholic Health Association (CHA) of the United States. CHA’s Lifetime Achievement Award annually recognizes someone who has inspired and mentored numerous others in Catholic healthcare and whose accomplishments, over the course of a career, have strengthened the ministry.
“Sr. Maureen certainly has enjoyed a lifetime of achievements,” said Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension. “During her 18 years as part of our healing ministry, Sr. Maureen transformed the role of Mission Integration for not only Ascension, but all of Catholic healthcare.
“She brought to life our commitment to expand the role of laity, in both leadership and sponsorship, to ensure a Catholic health ministry in the future. Under her guidance, Ascension led the way in developing formation experiences and programs to strengthen our ministry and prepare the next generation of leaders. In every way, Sr. Maureen’s service reflects her deep dedication to caring for all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.”
Sr. Maureen entered the Daughters of Charity in 1967. In 1996 she joined the Daughters of Charity National Health System, a founding member of Ascension, serving in Mission leadership roles in our Western New York health ministries.
She began her service as Ascension’s Executive Vice President and Chief Mission Integration Officer in July 2013, having served as Senior Vice President, Mission Integration, for Ascension Health since January 2002.
In 2020 Sr. Maureen stepped down from her longtime role as Chief Mission Integration Officer for Ascension to serve as Senior Executive Advisor, and later retired from the ministry to serve as Director of Mission Integration at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland.
In 2015 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, in recognition of her numerous contributions to Catholic healthcare. This honor reflected Sr. Maureen’s stature as a national Catholic healthcare leader in developing groundbreaking initiatives in the areas of formation, ethics, spiritual care, palliative care, and ministry identity assessment and planning.
A new myLearning module expands the impact of Ascension foundations
DEVELOPMENT TEAM MEMBERS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THIS PASSION PROJECT
— TINA CALLOWAY, ASCENSION ST. VINCENT’S FOUNDATION, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Over the past few years, the Ascension Philanthropy Leadership Council (APLC) has been working to fulfill a shared vision for a supportive partnership that promotes excellence in philanthropy across all Ascension market foundations. The APLC, made up of foundation leaders, oversees the efforts of several strategic centers of excellence and teams focused on initiatives that help optimize philanthropy across Ascension. One such initiative resulted in a new myLearning module that explains the work of in-market foundations and showcases the impact of philanthropy on our health ministries. Associates from several foundations worked with colleagues from Ascension’s Learning & Leader Institute team to design the multimedia module, which includes videos, infographics and images, as well as remarkable stories of giving and an invitation to associates to get involved.
Below, three of the module’s development team members — Tina Calloway (Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation, Jacksonville, Florida), Jennifer Carter (Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama) and Laura Regalado (Ascension Michigan Foundation, Warren, Michigan) — share thoughts on the System-wide collaboration it took to develop the myLearning module and why it was a “passion project” for all involved.
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR THIS MODULE?
Tina: The establishment of the Associate Hardship Fund and the critical support it provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic was a real turning point in understanding the impact our philanthropic engine can have and the good it can do. We can only continue to sustain and increase this impact if our associates understand the importance of philanthropy and get involved with their foundations. And they will! I’ve seen it! Recently, a nurse visited a foundation table we set up in the hospital cafeteria and she immediately signed up for a pledge. She shared that during the pandemic, her husband lost his job and she and her family received relief from the Associate Hardship Fund. It helped her family so much, both financially and emotionally, and now that her husband was back to work, she said it was her turn to give back.
• More than 40 community foundations
• Serving more than 2,600 sites of care
• Creating one culture of philanthropy
• Working with community leaders and donors
• Supporting community priorities
Laura: Our associates have a lot of charities and causes they support that are important to them. We need to be able to explain — and show — why their ministry’s foundation is equally deserving of their help, time and attention. When I look at how many associates we were able to help during the pandemic, it makes it personal. I want associates who see the module to be proud of where they work and where they are donating, and to become advocates for their foundations.
Jennifer: The more awareness people have, the more good we’ll be able to do for our associates, our patients, our facilities and our communities.
WHY DOES ASSOCIATE GIVING MATTER?
Jennifer: To me, associate giving helps someone feel truly connected to our Mission. It’s that next level of commitment that instills a sense of pride. It continues to surprise me how many associates aren’t aware of all the good our foundation does. One of our palliative care nurses who originally came to us from a for-profit health system was recently distraught trying to help a patient family she got close to. One of her co-workers suggested she reach out to the foundation for help — and, with funds earmarked for patient support, we did. The nurse was blown away by this and shared, “We don’t just say we care for the poor and vulnerable, we make it happen.” The truth is SHE and our associates make it happen because they give. The more associates who give, the more we can give.
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH COLLEAGUES FROM OTHER FOUNDATIONS ACROSS ASCENSION?
Laura: I was so happy when this became a conversation outside just one market or foundation, and that this project was identified as a System-wide need. All of us working together makes us smarter and makes the module and everything else we create that much stronger. Ultimately, working together helps us serve more needs.
Jennifer: I was thrilled to come together to do this work. For years we have been talking about sharing best practices, supporting each other and connecting, and now we’re doing it. I’m proud that as part of this work, we were able to put together an associate giving playbook to help any foundation develop a formal associate giving program if they didn’t have one. We want every foundation to have an associate giving campaign and some sort of associate support fund.
Tina: I’m so proud that this module represents not only what our foundations are doing locally, but more importantly, what we are doing together as a national ministry.
The myLearning philanthropy module is available on the MyLearning website. Type “foundation” in the search field to find and launch the course, which takes less than 15 minutes to complete. In addition to high-level education and awareness, the module provides the opportunity for associates to click through to their market foundation webpage to learn how they can get involved.
Associates across Ascension Illinois celebrate the market’s new name and branding. Top: Ascension Saint Joseph Joliet; bottom, from left: Ascension Resurrection, Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension Saint Joseph Elgin.
Introducing Ascension Illinois
AMITA HEALTH CAREGIVERS AND CARE SITES IN THE GREATER CHICAGO AREA ARE NOW SERVING UNDER THE ASCENSION IDENTITY
Meet Ascension Illinois, the new name for compassionate, personalized care in the greater Chicago area, from the northwest suburbs south to
Kankakee and dozens of communities in between.
On April 1, Ascension caregivers and care sites that had been serving as AMITA Health began serving under the
Ascension identity. These hospitals, clinics and associates have been part of Ascension for years, dating back to legacy
Alexian Brothers Health System and Presence Health.
Now, as Ascension Illinois, they have begun to enjoy the collaboration and benefits of better serving as One Ascension.
“Adopting the Ascension name and brand promise is a true differentiator in Chicago’s competitive healthcare landscape,” said Keith Parrott, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Illinois. “It will also enable us to work more closely with our colleagues across the country and benefit from ministry-wide efforts to engage consumers, care for patients and serve our communities in new ways.”
Ascension Illinois is one of the largest health systems in the state of Illinois, with 150 sites of care, including 15 hospitals spanning the Chicagoland area, which are implementing the Ascension brand and Mission.
Illinois associates celebrated this milestone moment in a variety of ways, including prayer and introductions to the Ascension Mission, Vision and Values, along with food, fun, signage and banners, all focused on what it means to be Ascension and live our Mission. “The creativity of the hospital teams was on full display and you could feel the excitement of associates,” Keith said.
The change garnered significant media coverage while a multichannel ad campaign introduced Ascension and our differentiating promise to provide compassionate, personalized care for all. Highly visible placements on TV, online, in newspapers and magazines, and on social media and radio, in addition to patient mailings, announced the new name and what it means for consumers and patients.
“We are excited about the future of Ascension Illinois,” said Nick Ragone, JD, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension. “With its care sites and caregivers visibly serving as Ascension, the light of our Mission shines even brighter.”
CMS approves Ascension Spiritual Care as supplemental benefit
THIS UNIQUE BENEFIT WILL BE COVERED AS PART OF ASCENSION INSURANCE PLANS
Ascension Insurance has received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Ascension’s unique Spiritual Care benefit to be an official supplemental benefit for the 2023 plan year. Spiritual Care is provided at no cost to the members of Ascension Complete, Ascension Personalized Care and Dell Children’s Health Plan.
“Our health plans currently cover thousands of members across Ascension’s footprint, enabling our patients to receive better access to care with a variety of health plans that are easy to use and understand. Ascension’s health plans aim to change the way our plans’ members experience healthcare, and we offer members benefits created in collaboration with our providers,” said Tim Moorhead, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and President, Ascension Insurance. One of the ways that Ascension delivers a new and differentiated member experience is by offering members access to virtual spiritual care.
“Spiritual care is fundamental to our identity and a tangible expression of Ascension’s Mission and Values,” Tim said. “It is an essential part of providing holistic care that sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities by treating the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Spiritual care benefits all of our members, especially those who are dealing with health challenges and decisions about treatment plans. We attend to the spirit through compassionate relationships and empathetic, effective communication, encouraging shared decisions about care among patients, providers and care teams.”
The approval from CMS helps further align Ascension’s insurance assets with the Ascension Mission. The Spiritual Care benefit has provided access for thousands of people to spiritually centered, holistic care.
Ascension Complete offers Medicare Advantage plans in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan,
Tim Moorhead Tennessee and Texas. Ascension Personalized Care offers Affordable Care Act plans in Michigan, Kansas and Indiana and is looking to expand into Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. Dell Children’s Health Plan offers coverage through the CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) and STAR (State of Texas Access Reform) programs in Texas.
Values.”
— TIM MOORHEAD, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ASCENSION, AND PRESIDENT, ASCENSION INSURANCE
