Letters

Health Progress, Sep/Oct 2001

NEED FOR PHILANTHROPY

I read with interest the article entitled "Returning to Revenue Growth" in the March-April 2001 issue of Health Progress. While Mr. Zuckerman and Ms. Johnson's focus was understandably on revenue growth from operations, philanthropy as a source of capital was overlooked.

During their formative years in the United States, Catholic hospitals were founded by religious orders, most of whom "begged for money" to fulfill their missions. Throughout their history, hospitals increased their reliance on third-party payors and the federal government and prospered for many years under this model. Now, with diminishing resources available from these sources, our Catholic hospitals should return to an emphasis on private philanthropy, albeit with the advantages of modern techniques.

Health care philanthropy has progressed from the time of "begging" to a sophisticated set of solicitation methods and donor giving vehicles that must be strategically marketed to all of our hospitals' constituencies (physicians, former patients, employees, foundations, corporations, and community leaders). The enormous wealth transfer from parents and grandparents to baby boomers, which is expected to total from $41 to $136 trillion in the period until the year 2052, according to the Boston College Social Welfare Research Institute, presents unprecedented opportunities for this to occur. Hospitals that invest in developing sound foundations to support philanthropy will not only survive, but also thrive. They will build endowments, renovate facilities, purchase programs to critically needed medical equipment, start new programs, and provide community outreach and care for poor.

Philanthropy in health care is a tradition based on our Catholic values and deep sense of community. We have an opportunity and an obligation for stewardship of resources that will enhance health care delivery today and for the future.

Sharon A. Dorn

St. joseph's Medical Center Foundation

Towson, MD

In response to the letter from Ms. Dorn, we reply that although our series is focused on service development opportunities, it is not our intention to discount the importance or effectiveness of other revenue-producing activities such as fundraising, improving collections, increasing managed care contract rates, or generating income through investments, all of which can and should be done by health care organizations in the pursuit of improved financial performance and broadening support for mission. In the May 2001 issue of our organization's newsletter, Millennium Growth Strategies for Health Care, we addressed the topic of fundraising. It can be accessed on the Internet at http://hss-inc.com/ resource_center/index.htm.

Alan M. Zuckerman

Tracy K. Johnson

Health Strategies & Solutions, Inc.

Philadelphia

FAITH, HEALING, AND MIRACLES

I was surprised and dismayed by your publication of Lawrence G. Seidl's review of the book Faith, Healing, and Miracles by Frederic Flach, MD, KHS. No one faults a reviewer for saying what he thinks or feels about a book. But in this case, Mr. Seidl has gone beyond ordinary good taste in criticizing not only the book, but its author as well. When he refers to it as "just another mainstream book in the lucrative genre of new-age spirituality," he deprecates both the writing and the author's motivations. When he suggests "eliminating the commas in the title to suggest faith healing and miracles would more appropriately reflect what the reader will find in the ensuing pages," he is both incorrect and insulting. And when he states that Dr. Flach has "taken authority, and mystery out of the divine and placed them under the scientific dome," he misrepresents the facts.

Mr. Seidl's review probably won't affect the response to Faith, Healing, and Miracles one way or another, except perhaps to discourage some health professionals from even looking at what, for them, might have proved a stimulating and meaningful experience.

Kevin J. Moran

Hatherleigh Press

Long Island City, NY

CATHOLIC NONETHELESS

I am a Protestant chaplain in the Penrose-St. Francis Health Systems (Penrose Hospital)/Centura Health in Colorado Springs, CO. I just read a portion of the latest edition of Health Progress, which prompted this message. Thank you for the consistency in the publication and the stimulating and challenging articles within its pages. It continues to challenge, uplift, and encourage, causing me to think and to express my gratitude for CHA and Catholic health care. I may not be "Roman" Catholic, but I am Catholic nonetheless. Keep up the good work!

Alan E. Filippi, BCC

Penrose Hospital

Colorado Springs, CO

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Fax us at 314-253-3540; or send e-mail to hpeditor@chausa.org. Letters may be edited for purposes of clarity or space. Opinions expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect those of the Catholic Health Association.