Religious institutes collaborate to address long-term needs

In 1984 the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, MI, began to examine how they could best continue to sponsor their healthcare ministry. A task force was created to determine perceptions within the health facilities regarding the ministry's strengths, weaknesses, and future viability. In 1985 the task force recommended participation in a health system in the West sponsored by more than one religious institute if the system were large enough to provide economies of scale; offer human, financial, and material resources; and compete successfully in the healthcare market. The Adrian Dominicans then asked Mercy Collaborative, a consulting subsidiary of Mercy Health Services, Farmington Hills, MI, to provide a proposal responding to the needs identified by the task force. In July 1985 the two institutes signed a three-year affiliation agreement creating the Western Catholic Health Collaborative (WCHC). Since the affiliation agreement was signed and a permanent executive director hired, significant accomplishments include completion of five-year strategic plans, establishment of mission effectiveness functions, and assessment of each hospital's information system. WCHC also has begun to study existing Catholic systems in the West to choose by the end of 1987 the one with which the Adrians will become cosponsors to strengthen their healthcare ministry.