An influential voice for increasing healthcare access for all and a lifetime advocate for the poor, Sr. Carol Keehan has leveraged her relentless energy and tireless commitment to aid the underserved throughout decades of service. Most recently, she served for 13 years as president and CEO of Catholic Health Association (CHA), the largest group of nonprofit healthcare providers in the nation.
The CHA comprises more than 600 hospitals and 1,600 long-term care and other health facilities across the United States. A member of Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, she earned a degree in nursing in 1964. She attended to patients in the emergency room for several years before entering hospital management. She served in various administrative and governance positions at hospitals sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, including 15 years as president and chief executive officer of Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.
During her tenure at CHA, Sr. Carol was a leading voice in promoting access to healthcare for all, especially for the vulnerable and those burdened by poverty. She led the CHA with distinction during a critical time for Catholic healthcare and for healthcare generally in the United States. She was instrumental in gathering political support for the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In 2010, she was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and “Person of the Year” by the National Catholic Reporter. Sr. Carol has been named to Modern Healthcare’s list of “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” for several years, topping the list at number one in 2007.
Sr. Carols’ advocacy for the poor in relation to healthcare aligns with Catholic Extension Society’s mission: to work in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities. Catholic Extension Society is honored to present the Spirit of Francis Award to Sr. Carol in Washington, D.C.
The Spirit of Francis Award
The Catholic Extension Society Spirit of Francis Award recognizes an individual or group who has made a significant impact on the mission of the Catholic Church in America through service or philanthropy. Spirit of Francis Award recipients are laudable for their commitment “to reach out to the margins of society” in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, and the founder of Catholic Extension Society, Father Francis Clement Kelley.
Proceeds from this Spirit of Francis Award Dinner will benefit Religious Sisters and their Ministries.
Inaugural Washington, D.C. Spirit of Francis Award Dinner
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
6:30 PM | Welcome Reception
7:30 PM | Dinner & Award Presentation
Venue:
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Blvd.
10 First Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20540
Honorary Co-Chairs
His Eminence Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory
Archbishop of Washington
His Eminence Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago