Keeping the Vision alive for health care reform.

BY JEFF TIEMAN Mr. Tiemtm is director, Covering a Nation, Catholic Health Association, Washington, D.C. CHA's Our Vision For U.S. Health Care has been a big hit. People from around the ministry — and, increasingly, outside of it — are requesting and promoting the document, which names values and principles that should guide future reform efforts. As we take the next steps toward a health care system that works for everyone, the Vision can and should remain a centerpiece of the national conversation. And each professional in our ministry — from multi-hospital CEOs to charge nurses and billing clerks — has a role to play. Each of us has a voice that must be heard, a viewpoint on what is most important as work proceeds to repair our health care system. One of the most encouraging things we are hearing at CHA is that hospital leaders are sharing the Vision document with their board members. Members of Catholic hospital boards, who are business and civic leaders in their communities, can make a significant difference by sharing the Vision with others. Also, they can speak publicly about it and encourage their various constituencies to demand real action. We have a window of opportunity now, the first legitimate chance in more than a decade to engage our national leadership in a conversation about health care. With public interest in this issue growing by the day, people want to discuss their hopes and expectations. They want to know what candidates for office would do to address the quality, cost and access challenges that face us. They want a voice in how we meet those challenges together.