Mercy sisters in Midwest USA are celebrating with the slogan Sister Roch Rocks after she was inducted into the Modern Healthcare and the American College of Health Care Executive’s Hall of Fame this week. The induction honours individuals who dedicate their lives to advancing the health of people around the world, and showing the best leadership and public service.
Richard Umdenstock, President and CEO of the American Hospital Association, said that Sister Mary Roch Rocklage, RSM, had served as board chair of both the Catholic Hospital Association and the American Hospital Association.
He praised the 75 year old Sister for her many characteristics, and for being “prescient, persuasive and persistent” in her advocacy for health care access for every person.
He spoke of her fidelity to the struggle of health care reform and her mentoring countless health care leaders.
Sister Mary Roch accepted the honour, thanking the Sisters of Mercy who made all that she has done possible.
She has given more than 50 years of service in healthcare, most recently helping guide lay people in leadership at the order’s healthcare services, which are referred to as Mercy.
Today Mercy serves more than 3 million people, with 28 hospitals and more than 200 outpatient facilities covering Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
It also includes outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
“Like health care across the nation, Mercy is in a time of change,” she said.
“Our mission of serving our communities has not changed, but the hands who serve are now the doctors, nurses and many co-workers. What a blessing to see the work of the Sisters before us being carried out every day by compassionate people.”
She is recipient of a number of other awards, and in 2007, having won a Lifetime Achievement Award, she said, “For me, the religious life and healthcare are not two distinct roles. We take a vow of service to the poor and those in need of care.”
She joined the Sisters of Mercy aged 19. Nursing school, and her 50 years since have given her unique understanding of the inner workings and complexities of the health care world.
This knowledge, combined with her leadership, gave her insight into the needs within health care and how leaders might bring about change to serve those needs.
She continues to be active within the Sisters of Mercy Health System and in advocating for reform.
In January this year she wrote a letter stressing the importance of implementing true healthcare reform in the U.S. after some legislators proposed changes to the new law that will extend healthcare access.
“We must realise that we will never have effective health care reform until we say with conviction that every person has the right to access to health care. The United States is the only industrialised nation in the world without a vision for what we truly believe – that every individual should have access to basic, comprehensive health care. Without a clear vision of what health care must deliver, reform will never happen,” she wrote at the time.
She explained that health care is not about competition, nor about how much profit can be made for stakeholders.
“It is and always has been about a commitment to a common vision of care. It is about creating solutions in a collaborative environment to find the best ways to care for all members of society… to honour their dignity and to give them access to basic, comprehensive health care. That should be the stated vision for reform.”
She is the 90th person to join the Modern Health Care Hall of Fame that started in 1988 and since that time, seven women religious have been named as honourees, including two saints – Mother Francesca Cabrini and Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton.
No comments:
Post a Comment