OUR PHILOSOPHY
The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother’s St. John Health System, witnesses to the healing mission of Jesus Christ as expressed by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and by the philosophy and values of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. In pursuit of this healing mission, we subscribe to the following principles and beliefs:
• We believe human life is a sacred gift from God, created in His divine image and called to eternal union with Him.
• We believe human life is to be reverenced, respected, supported and protected at all stages, from conception to death.
• We believe all persons are called to achieve fullness of life and to contribute, to the best of their ability, to the development and deepening of the positive qualities of
life, thereby helping each other realize full personal potential.
• We believe health is a basic human value and strive to maintain and restore the physical, spiritual, social and emotional well-being of those serving and those being
served.
• We believe in a holistic healing process which integrates medical excellence with compassionate care.
• We believe all persons serving with us should receive recognition of their personal dignity and worth as well as appropriate material compensation in accordance with
the principles of Christian justice.
• We believe we are called to responsible stewardship and to wisely and respectfully utilize our human and material resources.
OUR MISSION
The St. John Health System is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare corporation sponsored by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. The corporation furthers the works of the congregation, that of continuing the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. It serves as an intergral part of the Roman Catholic Church, assists in carrying out its mission and operates in conformance with The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Facilities.
Faithful to the sponsorship mission, philosophy and values, the Health System's mission is to provide healthcare and related ministries for the people served, especially the sick, the poor and the powerless.
The Health System provides a network of interdependent healthcare facilities, programs and services that are educational, scientific, religious and charitable in nature, and are devoted to improving the education and well-being of those served and those who serve.
The Health System promotes programs and services that are dynamic, flexible and responsive to the needs of the community served, and successully address unmet needs and future demands.
The Health System provides strategic and financial planning, leadership and coordination for affiliated corporations.
We are committed to continue this mission of service, and in our day-to-day interactions with those who serve and are served, we are guided by the core values of service, presence, human dignity and wisdom.
OUR VALUES
Service
We value the opportunity to serve the sick, one another, the community and society through the utilization of our skills and giftedness. We strive for excellence and continuous improvement in our service, making the human touch of compassion a vital component in the healing process.
• We respond to the needs of each person by taking into consideration the whole person: body, mind and spirit.
• We continuously improve the quality of our service through the encouragement of self-directed work teams and employee empowerment.
• We promote wellness within the community we serve through health education, health screening and health promotion.
• We advocate a new healthcare delivery system that provides dignified access to an adequate level of health services.
• We assume our obligation to share our unique gifts and skills to improve the living conditions of humanity.
Presence
We enrich interactions and encounters with those we serve, with those to whom we minister and with those with whom we collaborate through our total attentiveness to each person and to each situation.
• We provide compassionate care to our patients by entering into their pain and suffering.
• We give to every person with whom we interact our undivided attention.
• We create a welcoming space into which others feel free to enter.
• We receive every person we serve as a guest.
Human Dignity
We reverence all human life, promote the dignity of each human being and share in one another’s gifts in ways that preserve a sense of self-worth and equality. We foster responsive, value-driven cultures, structures and processes that promote basic human rights, individual growth, and effective use of talents and development of maximum potential.
• We respect the unique personhood of every individual with whom we come in contact in the provision of our services.
• We encourage open, honest and timely communication between all levels of the organization.
• We value the talents and giftedness of each person and appropriately recognize individual contributions to organizational goals and success.
• We create an atmosphere that fosters mutual respect, recognizes one another’s worth and enhances self-esteem.
• We provide a compensation system that is internally equitable and externally competitive.
Wisdom
We exercise responsible stewardship, using available resources to maintain the critical balance of addressing individual and community health needs while sustaining the institution’s long-term financial strength. We use processes which enable us to discover what is true and right in making decisions which call us to just actions.
• We act ethically and with integrity, honesty and confidentiality in all our dealings.
• We carefully balance the needs of charity with the demands of justice.
• We carefully balance the need for continually improving quality with the need to control healthcare costs.
• We foster the free exchange of ideas, innovation and teamwork and seek guidance and input prior to decision-making.
• We collaborate with physicians and other healthcare providers to assure effective and efficient use of all types of resources.
• We use resources wisely and strive for reasonable financial returns to enable us to continue our mission.
