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PITTSBURG —
Via Christi Health and its two founding religious orders — the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita — have reached another milestone, officials said.
Officials were not available for comment, but Jeff Korsmo, President and CEO of Via Christi Health in Wichita, said in a release that if plans come to fruition around 2013, Via Christi Hospital and two other regional health systems will become a full part of Ascension Health, the largest Catholic health system in the United States, under a Memorandum of Understanding that has been signed by Ascension Health Alliance and the Marian Health System.
Ascension Health already has a 50 percent sponsorship of Via Christi through its affiliation with the Congregation of St. Joseph, one of the Wichita health system’s founding orders of sisters. Given the declining number of sisters actively involved in health care, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother decided to develop a long-term sponsorship vision for their health care ministries. As a result, they decided to sign the memorandum, which could result in Marian Health System, including Via Christi, becoming a full part of Ascension Health.
“Ascension Health Alliance and the health systems of Marian Health share a common goal of serving all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable,” said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Health Alliance, in a release. “This step is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen Catholic health care in the U.S. The systems are all committed to serving the community and advocating common good.”
The organizations will conduct due diligence in anticipation of reaching a definitive agreement by the end of the first quarter of 2013. Specific terms of the MOU and the agreement are confidential.
According to the release, Via Christi Health became affiliated with Ascension Health in 2007 when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita joined their fellow congregations to form the Congregation of St. Joseph which exercises its health ministries through Ascension Health.
“Via Christi has been affiliated with Marian Health since 1989 and Ascension Health since 2007,” Korsmo said in the release. “This decision would bring both of our founding congregations and Via Christi itself fully under the sponsorship of Ascension Health, strengthening our relationship and giving us access to all of Ascension Health’s programs from clinical excellence to advocacy and administration.”
In an e-mail to Via Christi staff, Korsmo said he believes this is positive news because Ascension Health and Via Christi share similar missions and the common goal of strengthening Catholic healthcare. Korsmo said other advantages from Via Christi’s full alignment with Ascension Health would be:
• Access to lower cost capital for Via Christi and the two other Marian systems.
• Economies of scale and best practices for Via Christi’s hospital and clinic operations.
• A strong, competitive national healthcare platform.
• A connection to an innovative organization with a track record of high performance.
Via Christi Health and its two founding religious orders — the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita — have reached another milestone, officials said.
Officials were not available for comment, but Jeff Korsmo, President and CEO of Via Christi Health in Wichita, said in a release that if plans come to fruition around 2013, Via Christi Hospital and two other regional health systems will become a full part of Ascension Health, the largest Catholic health system in the United States, under a Memorandum of Understanding that has been signed by Ascension Health Alliance and the Marian Health System.
Ascension Health already has a 50 percent sponsorship of Via Christi through its affiliation with the Congregation of St. Joseph, one of the Wichita health system’s founding orders of sisters. Given the declining number of sisters actively involved in health care, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother decided to develop a long-term sponsorship vision for their health care ministries. As a result, they decided to sign the memorandum, which could result in Marian Health System, including Via Christi, becoming a full part of Ascension Health.
“Ascension Health Alliance and the health systems of Marian Health share a common goal of serving all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable,” said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Health Alliance, in a release. “This step is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen Catholic health care in the U.S. The systems are all committed to serving the community and advocating common good.”
The organizations will conduct due diligence in anticipation of reaching a definitive agreement by the end of the first quarter of 2013. Specific terms of the MOU and the agreement are confidential.
According to the release, Via Christi Health became affiliated with Ascension Health in 2007 when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita joined their fellow congregations to form the Congregation of St. Joseph which exercises its health ministries through Ascension Health.
“Via Christi has been affiliated with Marian Health since 1989 and Ascension Health since 2007,” Korsmo said in the release. “This decision would bring both of our founding congregations and Via Christi itself fully under the sponsorship of Ascension Health, strengthening our relationship and giving us access to all of Ascension Health’s programs from clinical excellence to advocacy and administration.”
In an e-mail to Via Christi staff, Korsmo said he believes this is positive news because Ascension Health and Via Christi share similar missions and the common goal of strengthening Catholic healthcare. Korsmo said other advantages from Via Christi’s full alignment with Ascension Health would be:
• Access to lower cost capital for Via Christi and the two other Marian systems.
• Economies of scale and best practices for Via Christi’s hospital and clinic operations.
• A strong, competitive national healthcare platform.
• A connection to an innovative organization with a track record of high performance.
