The Catholic health care ministry seeks just and equitable health care for all Californians. Through its project, Called to Care, the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, together with members Dignity Health and Providence, work to foster strong ties between safety net hospitals and providers and community organizations to improve social factors that impact everyone’s health. Access to housing, food, safety, and peace of mind go hand in hand with access to high-quality health care.
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For 160 years, the Catholic health ministry in California has provided compassionate care to our patients, families and communities. We are committed to improving the health and well-being of every person and community we serve. Together, our health systems operate 50 Catholic and Catholic-affiliated acute care hospitals, which represent almost 15% of all hospitals and over 15% of the hospital beds in California.
A snapshot of Catholic Health Care in California
| Statistic/Category | Catholic Health Systems and Hospitals | % of Total of All Acute Care Hospitals* |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Care Hospitals | 50 | 14.7% |
| Licensed Acute Beds | 10,896 | 15.7% |
| Charity Care and Community Benefit Costs** | $2.97 billion | n/a |
| Number of Employees (FTEs) | 57,584 | 12.7% |
| Patient Days | 2,438,993 | 14.6% |
| Outpatient Visits | 5,867,068 | 13.2% |
| ER Visits | 2,257,860 | 17.4% |
| Births | 74,263 | 17.7% |
| Medi-Cal Days (traditional and managed care) | 893,650 | 14.3% |
| Medicare Days (traditional and managed care) | 1,090,254 | 16.5% |
| Outpatient Surgeries | 174,494 | 14.3% |
| Home Health Visits | 508,395 | 32.1% |
* 2019 (most recent data available) Comparative OSHPD Data for General Acute Hospitals Only. Excludes specialty and psychiatric hospitals.
** Includes patient financial assistance (charity care), unreimbursed costs of Medicaid and other means-tested programs, unpaid costs of caring for patients covered by Medicare, community health improvement services and community building activities, and other community benefit services.
The Alliance of Catholic Health Care strengthens the Catholic health care ministry in California by providing a statewide forum in which ministry leaders collaborate on advocacy, ministry leadership formation, Church relationships and other issues that enhance the common good.
Respect for each person as an inherently valuable member of the human community and as a unique expression of life.
Advocate for systems and structures that are attuned to the needs of the vulnerable and disadvantaged and that strengthen a sense of community among all persons.
Achieve public policy goals by working together and with other organizations at the state and national levels that share a similar vision and values.
Recognize that the human, financial, and ecological resources available for health care are limited and must be managed wisely and efficiently.
California's Catholic health care systems and hospitals together advocate on behalf of the following public policy priorities through the Alliance of Catholic Health Care:
- Advocate for expanded health insurance coverage and access for all residents of California. Health care is a basic human right.
- Provide leadership on behalf of public policies that promote the health and well-being of communities, with a particular emphasis on the needs of the poor and underserved.
- Promote and preserve the not-for-profit mission in health care delivery and support efforts to enhance this sector's capacity to serve patients and communities.
- Advocate for adequate funding of the Medi-Cal (Medicaid) and Medicare programs.
- Preserve the ability of Catholic and other religious organizations to deliver health care consistent with their religious beliefs and values.