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Apr 23, 2013

Bishop's Letter to the Diocese re: SLEHS

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am pleased to announce the transfer of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System to Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), following an extensive evaluation of the future health care landscape. While we looked at a number of options for the future of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, the transfer to CHI, a large and nationally respected health system, allows our legacy as a respected partner and provider in the Texas Medical Center to continue.  The choice simultaneously expands our capacity to offer new health care initiatives throughout the diocese. CHI committed more than $1 billion for SLEHS, which will become the Episcopal Health Foundation.

At their retreat last week at Camp Allen, the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System Board of Directors recommended CHI to the diocese.  On Friday, April 19, after thorough briefings, the Standing Committee, the Executive Board, the Church Corporation, and I voted to approve the System Board’s recommendation.

When the Episcopal Diocese of Texas established St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital nearly 60 years ago, health care needs were very different.  Quality acute care hospitals were few, and the Diocese of Texas stepped in to fill the gap.  We have met the needs of critically ill patients from around the world as well as provided the full spectrum of health care needs for the Greater Houston area.  Along the way, great things have been accomplished. Many of you have contributed to St. Luke’s success and have helped to build its legacy.  It is with great humility that I can say the health care ministry of St. Luke’s has accomplished what Bishops Quin and Hines set out to build—not just another hospital—but a hospital in which “all the mountain-moving powers of faith and prayer and human skill can be brought to bear upon individuals in need.”

There were many criteria that led to our approval of CHI, including its commitment to quality patient care and alignment with St. Luke’s mission, values and culture. In addition to allowing the System to expand and advance health care in the Greater Houston area, the selection of CHI ensures St. Luke’s will continue to provide faith-based care with a focus on exceptional quality, physician skill and nursing excellence.  CHI’s strength and history of successful integrations with other faith-based health systems, in combination with its mission of a healing ministry, will be complementary to St. Luke’s legacy.

The name of the System will be the St. Luke’s Health System. The transaction is expected to be completed early this summer, subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals, and includes the entire Health System: the Texas Medical Center campus, and suburban hospital locations in The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Pasadena and The Vintage. 

This agreement ensures that St. Luke’s quality of acute care will continue and will be advanced through a further contribution of $1 billion for future investment in the Health System.  This will include building a new hospital, acquiring a new hospital or otherwise renewing St. Luke’s Texas Medical Center location. This investment also will be available for Board-approved projects that will improve the capacity of the entire System to deliver high quality health care. 

Finally, we are very pleased that the contribution of more than $1 billion will create a new Episcopal Health Foundation, which will include the work of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities.   The unmet health needs in our Diocese are significant and require considerable focus.  We must address this health care vacuum to provide basic access to health care; prevention; community and environmental health; and poverty, education and health disparities. We’ll share more information on the newly created Episcopal Health Foundation in the coming weeks.

So I ask that you dream with me about a health mission that understands that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being—not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  The future of our mission remains “to bring all the mountain-moving powers of faith and prayer and human skill to bear upon individuals in need.”  

Faithfully yours,

Bishop Andy Doyle