Sisters of Charity Health System Announces President and CEO

CLEVELAND, Dec. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sisters of Charity Health System today announced the appointment of Terrence P. Kessler as president and CEO, a role he has served in an interim capacity since July 2013.

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"Throughout the past six months, Terry's leadership has been a significant asset as the Sisters of Charity Health System strategically responds to the changing health care environment and prepares for a future that includes complex industry-wide challenges," said Roger L. Mann, chair of the Sisters of Charity Health System Board of Directors. "We are very excited that Terry has accepted this position, which builds off the leadership of Sister Judith Ann Karam."

As president and CEO,  Kessler oversees the health system's five Catholic hospitals, two skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, three grantmaking foundations, and six health and human services organizations in Ohio and South Carolina.  Kessler also continues his role as the health system's general counsel, a role he assumed in June 2012.

"Terry has deep understanding of the current dynamics of health care and federal health reform, including changing reimbursement, significant shifts in public policy and new models of clinical care delivery," said Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, who is the chair of the Member and Catholic Sponsor, CSA Health System Ministries, and current congregational leader of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.  "He also wholeheartedly embraces and is dedicated to the mission and values of Catholic health care."

Prior to June 2012, Kessler served as a member of the Sisters of Charity Health System Board of Directors for 14 years, including six years as chair, and as a member of the Public Juridic Person of Pontifical Right, which is the Catholic sponsorship structure adopted by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and the Sisters of Charity Health System. Throughout that time, Kessler was a shareholder at Black, McCuskey, Souers & Arbaugh in Canton, Ohio. He joined the law firm in 1975 after graduating from Yale University and The Ohio State University College of Law. 

"My previous governance roles with the Sisters of Charity Health System have formed in me a deep understanding of what makes Catholic health care successful and what makes it so very special," said Kessler. "As the new leader of this faith-based system of health, foundation and outreach ministries, I am fully energized and inspired to continue and advance our Sisters' 162-year legacy of healing individuals, families and communities."

The Sisters of Charity Health System and its ministries have been recognized by the Catholic Health Association of the United States, U.S. News and World Report and many other industry, media and community leaders for cutting-edge clinical achievements and a shared commitment to representing the compassion and excellence that distinguishes Catholic health care. Ministries of the Sisters of Charity Health System have also been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for active involvement in meeting ever-changing community needs.

About the Sisters of Charity Health System

The Sisters of Charity Health System was established in 1982 as the parent corporation for the sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in Ohio and South Carolina. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine congregation, since founding in 1851, continues a faith-based legacy of high-quality, compassionate care in partnership with its co-ministers, who are the heart and hands of the ministry.

The Sisters of Charity Health System solely owns four Catholic hospitals: St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio; Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio; and Providence Hospital and Providence Northeast in Columbia, South Carolina. In a 50/50 joint venture with University Hospitals of Cleveland, the Sisters of Charity Health System also co-owns St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio.

The Sisters of Charity Health System also oversees three grantmaking foundations located in Cleveland, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; and Columbia, South Carolina. Each foundation sponsors significant community initiatives and collaborations that address causes and consequences of poverty.

Other health and human service or education-related organizations within the Sisters of Charity Health System include Joseph's Home, a unique residential care center for homeless men in Cleveland, Ohio; Early Childhood Resource Center for people working in childcare in all settings in Canton, Ohio; Healthy Learners, a health care resource for children from low-income families in South Carolina; and the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, a state-wide organization supporting initiatives to reengage fathers in the lives of their children.

The Sisters of Charity Health System also provides residential elder care services at Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio, and Light of Hearts Villa in Bedford, Ohio. Light of Hearts Villa is jointly sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

Learn more at www.sistersofcharityhealth.org.

About CSA Health System Ministries

CSA Health System Ministries is the Member of the Corporation and exercises the Catholic Sponsor of the Sisters of Charity Health System. Sponsorship of a health care ministry is a formal relationship between an authorized Catholic organization (CSA Health System Ministries) and a legally formed entity (Sisters of Charity Health System) entered into for the sake of sustaining and promoting Christ's healing ministry.

Since 1851, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have responded to the unmet needs of people through the development of a number of sponsored health and human service ministries. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine established the Sisters of Charity Health System in 1982 to provide the direct operational oversight and stewardship of sponsored ministries on behalf of the congregation. 

In 2007, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine took the additional step to formally establish the next generation of Catholic sponsorship of their ministries. It was at that time, in response to a request from the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, that the Vatican issued a decree giving formal approval for a new model that transitioned sponsorship from being entirely held by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to a new leadership structure known as a "public juridic person of pontifical right" (PJP), which includes sisters and laity. This structure was named CSA Health System Ministries.

Today, CSA Health System Ministries is responsible for exercising certain reserved powers such as approval of Sisters of Charity Health System and its entities philosophy and mission, appointment of Directors/Trustees, as well as the approval of the CEO, encumbering assets and implementing joint ventures. This model of sponsorship aims to uphold and grow the mission of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and the Catholic identity of the Sisters of Charity Health System into the future. 

SOURCE Sisters of Charity Health System