“We are stronger together when we are allied together.”
For Immediate Release
(Troy, MI) January 20, 2022
“The launch of the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance is a clarion call for Catholic health care entities to join together for true Christ-centered care while defending the civil rights and freedoms of both patient and medical professional,” said Louis Brown, Esq, Executive Director of Christ Medicus Foundation. “We are stronger together when we are allied together.”
The newly formed Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance (CHCLA) is a non-profit organization and broad-based coalition of organizations that are committed to advancing and protecting Catholic Health Care.
CHCLA was established as a collaborative response of faithful Catholics to the political, regulatory, financial, and organizational pressures that cause confusion and threaten the practice of Catholic health care. CHCLA will be a center for patients and professionals to find the support they need to fully live out their Catholic identity.
“We need this renewal of Catholic health care to help the Catholic community and wider general public navigate challenges of access to authentic and complete care – care of the whole person, body and soul. And while we work for complete care, we also must work to ward off procedures and policies that harm human dignity and restrict or eliminate Christ-centered care,” said Brown.
The mission of CHCLA as an alliance of faithful Catholic organizations is to support the rights of patients and professionals to receive and provide health care in accordance with the moral, ethical, and social teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church through ongoing evangelization, education, advocacy, and mutual support. The five organizations represented are:
Catholic Medical Association
National Catholic Bioethics Center
Catholic Benefits Association
Catholic Bar Association
Christ Medicus Foundation
The Most Reverend James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L., Bishop of Lincoln Nebraska, is Chair of the Episcopal Advisory Board of CHCLA.
“God willing, the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance will ignite a renewal of health care in which Christ’s healing love naturally and supernaturally heals the body, mind, heart and soul of patients and families across the country. God has blessed the Christ Medicus Foundation to be one of the co-founders of the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance. The Church exists to share an encounter with Christ, who is love itself, in all we do. Catholic health care exists to bring patients health and through the love and care they receive to share with them the fullness of healing in Jesus Christ.
“Our fellow citizens, regardless of their religion, are hungering not just for health but also healing. Through delivering Christ-centered care we believe the members of the CHCLA can help our brothers and sisters of every background reach the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing and wholeness they seek.
“While chiefly advancing Christ-centered care, the Alliance will work to defend the civil rights of medical conscience and religious freedom in health care for medical professionals and patients. Ongoing efforts at the federal level seek to make Catholic and pro-life health care illegal. These federal efforts in Congress and at HHS would be devastating for the pro-life movement and would severely undermine the religious freedom right to love and care for the sick consistent with one’s moral and religious convictions. This battle over religious freedom and medical conscience in health care is the greatest political pro-life battle of our time. I believe the CHCLA and other voices in Catholic health care are needed now to defend the basic civil rights to life, religious freedom, and conscience which safeguard the life, health, and freedom of all Americans,” said Brown.
The Christ Medicus Foundation shares Jesus Christ’s healing love in health care. We champion religious freedom for medical professionals and patients. We promote Christ-centered pro-life medical care, and we offer our CURO Catholic health care community for medical needs and whole-person wellness. Founded in 1997, the Christ Medicus Foundation works to accomplish its mission in religious freedom and medical conscience through promoting public policy and education, supporting Christ-centered pro-life medical centers and our CURO health care community.
PRESS CONTACT: Kathy Dempsey for Christ Medicus Foundation