CHICAGO (CommonSpirit Health) – Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) have come together as CommonSpirit Health, creating a new nonprofit Catholic health system focused on advancing health for all people and serving communities in 21 states.
The $29 billion system operates more than 700 care sites and 142 hospitals, including CHI Mercy Health in Valley City, ND as well as research programs, virtual care services, home health programs, and living communities. CommonSpirit Health also supports a range of community health programs to create healthier communities and address the root causes of poor health such as access to quality care and health equity, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, and a healthy environment.
The new organization is built on the legacy of 17 congregations of women religious who founded health ministries to serve people most in need. Today, it is supported by approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians.
Catholic Health Initiatives CEO Kevin E. Lofton and Dignity Health President and CEO Lloyd H. Dean will both serve as CEOs in the Office of the CEO for the new health system.
“Our new organization will bring the expertise of a national health system to neighborhoods across the country,” said Lofton. “Whether it’s a neurological institute in Arizona, a 25-bed critical access facility in North Dakota, a mobile lung cancer screening program in Tennessee, or a ‘hospital at home’ in Nebraska, CommonSpirit Health will expand the best approaches from across our new organization. Our whole will be much greater than the sum of our parts.”
“We didn’t combine our ministries to get bigger, we came together to provide better care for more people,” said Dean. “We created CommonSpirit Health because in order to solve national health challenges, we need the breadth, scope, and resources to make a nationwide impact. We believe that no one should ever have to choose between being healthy and putting food on the table.”