A Roman Catholic Understanding Of Justice In Health Care

Over the past hundreds of years, the Church has been involved in taking care of the health of the people.  The church has included religious men and women, and also laymen and laywomen, to ensure relevant healthcare is provided to the population.

It has also utilized all the technological advancements to ensure the best medical care for the population.  It has ensured that the people serving in the healthcare sector should be disciplined, dedicated and have compassion towards the sick.

The Catholic Church has provided healthcare and has given consideration to the poor and the not so well to do segments of the population.  It has also tried to improve the provision of healthcare, accessibility and upgrading the health status of the community to a higher level.
In the US, the Catholic Church is one of the largest groups that provide healthcare for non-profit purposes.  It should also be noted that the Catholic Church provides healthcare to people belonging to various castes, religions and faiths[1].
The Catholic Health Association of the US (CHAUS) was formed in the year 1915, and its basic aim was to unite all the Roman Catholic Healthcare organizations so that a common force could emerge in providing healthcare in the country[2].
One of the main objectives of the Roman Catholic organizations in healthcare is to ensure that high quality services are provided right from birth until death.
These services have to be provided to people belonging to various castes, faith, religions, races, ages, sex, etc.  This has ensured the people that no bias exists in providing healthcare.  Hence, people do consider the Catholic hospitals as universal and secular organizations in providing healthcare.
  About 16 % of the population and about 20 % of all hospital admissions in the US is actually made into Catholic hospitals.  About 615 Catholic hospitals are existent in the US, out of a total of 5000.  70 % of these Catholic hospitals are located in urban areas, and 30 % in the rural areas.
A wide range of services is provided by the Catholic hospitals, as they are interested in using the latest technological means in ensuring high quality services.  The Catholic hospitals have also given ample importance to family care, women’s health, emergency care, nursing, hospice, assisted living, residential facilities, newborn care, etc.
The other sectors in which the Catholic Church has significant contributions include alcohol and drug treatment, psychiatric services, disaster management, dental care, geriatric services, HIV/AIDS services, nutrition, teenage care, etc.
Another area in which the catholic hospitals have also given importance is the community health sector.  Community services in the year 2006 by all the Catholic hospitals in the US amounted to about $ 5.7 billion.
These services were mainly to ensure that the public health needs were fulfilled and that the health status of the community could improve.  It is important to note that the Catholic hospitals have provided healthcare to the needy and the underprivileged segments of the population[3].
[1] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf
[2] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf
[3] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf