The Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Board of Stewardship Trustees has endorsed the organization's advocacy priorities for 2009-2010.  The Board's endorsement culminates an extensive priority setting process that involved input from CHI leaders, alignment with CHI's strategic plan, and review and recommendation by the Advocacy Advisory Committee.  An electronic survey of potential advocacy priorities was sent to the Board of Stewardship Trustees, Participating Congregations Representatives, MBO/JOA/Facility CEOs, National Leadership Team, Mission Leaders and Advocacy Contacts.  The Advocacy Advisory Committee considered this information in its discernment and development of recommendations for the Board.

The following are CHI's advocacy issues listed in priority order for 2009-2010:

• Access and Coverage for All - reform the United States' health care system to provide affordable health insurance coverage and access to safe, high-quality health care services for every individual, beginning with most vulnerable populations (e.g., children). 
  
  
• Quality and Equity - support efforts to continuously improve health care quality and safety through legislation, regulations and initiatives addressing issues such as evidence-based care, error reduction, quality measurement and pay-for-performance.  Provide and promote access, quality and outcomes that are undifferentiated by race, ethnicity, immigration status or socio-economic level.
  
  
• Fair Payment to Providers and Programs - ensure Medicare and Medicaid payments that cover costs of providing quality care and maintain the viability of health care programs.  Oppose payment reductions that negatively impact the provision of needed services to seniors, the disabled and low-income individuals and that cause undue harm to providers. 
  
  
• Charitable Purpose - preserve and promote the charitable purpose and tax-exempt status of non-profit health care.  Provide, demonstrate and communicate organizational accountability and community benefit that is responsive to community need.
  
  
• Rural Health Care - preserve and promote access to high-quality health care services in rural areas through payment systems and programs that recognize the unique needs of rural providers, including Critical Access Hospitals, and the importance of health care services to rural communities.
  
  
• Non-Violence - advance public policy efforts and collaborative initiatives that address and prevent violence in our communities, including domestic violence, child and elder abuse, gun violence, and school violence, in order to create healthy communities.

CHI's advocacy activities will not be limited to the priority issues.  Changing political, social, cultural and health care realities will force various issues on our agenda to the forefront at certain points in time and will raise new issues requiring our advocacy efforts at the local, state and national levels.

CHI's continuing involvement in advocacy provides the opportunity to shape future directions in health and social policy while also responding to current realities.  The goal is to position CHI as an informative and influential leader and continue to fulfill its commitment to advocacy.

1/09/09