Advocacy
Advocacy Overview
We are the leadership organization for Catholic hospitals in Texas. Our task is to reach out with education and advocacy, to make legislators, policy makers, Texas Catholics and others aware of issues facing our healthcare system and all of us who depend on it. Much needs to be fixed – health insurance, access to care for all, the assurance of quality care, care for immigrant populations, and the need for hospitals to remain financially viable. Our healthcare system is breaking down and in need of more than patches. We need to rebuild a system that is affordable, accessible and effective.
To reach out we work on our own, and with other organizations both Catholic and non-Catholic. We seek collaboration wherever common interests prevail. We view our work as an extension of the ethical standards and moral beliefs that are historically associated with Catholic healthcare, which is in turn based on the healing mission of Jesus Christ.
We join the Catholic Health Association of the United States in believing that:
- Health care is a basic right.
- Health care, ranging from genetic advancement to end-of-life care, must be based on ethical moral standards.
- Health care is a service, not a commodity.
We share the CHA legislative priorities, including:
- Working toward accessible health care for all, including children, the elderly, the disabled, and other vulnerable populations.
- Sustaining the fiscal viability of providers to assure adequate care for all.
- Maintaining the values that flow from Catholic teachings, including the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
- Measures that maintain Catholic identity and the church’s commitment to social justice.
- Strengthening nonprofit health care.