Executive Change - Illinois Catholic Health Association Changes Leadership

McGowan replaces Bill Kessler, who served as board president for the past three years. Cacchione replaces Philip Karst, who is retiring after nine years at ICHA and over 28 years in Catholic health care.

"Catholic non-profit hospitals, nursing homes, and social-service agencies provide community benefits that have significant social and financial impact on all of Illinois’ citizens," Cacchione said. "Illinois Catholic hospitals alone provide more than $1 billion in community benefits annually, including charity care, education, research and subsidies in support of government-sponsored indigent care. There are 46 Catholic hospitals and more than 100 Catholic, long-term-care and housing facilities in Illinois. More than 100,000 people are employed by the Catholic Church in Illinois. I look forward to helping the Catholic health-care institutions of Illinois fulfill their vital mission."

"Illinois Catholic hospitals’ standards for offering charity care to those in need are both liberal and compassionate, and applied to meet the need on an individual or personalized basis," McGowan said. "We’re proud that Illinois Catholic health and social-service agencies serve the needs of the people who need help the most. The religious orders that founded these organizations and now oversee how these organizations are serving their communities, view their mission as a moral obligation beyond the demands generated by an individual’s ability to pay, or any state or federal regulation or mandate."