Ascension Health: Follow Your Mission, Prioritize Patients and Nurses, Not Profits

Make your voice heard

“Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words.” Ascension Health’s Mission Statement

Ascension Health is the largest and wealthiest Catholic health care system in the world, with 139 hospitals in the United States and billions in assets. While Ascension’s mission states a commitment to serve all communities and promote a more just society, it is operating more like a for-profit corporation.

The New York Times recently published a report corroborating what nurses have been saying for years–Ascension is chronically understaffing its hospitals to enrich executives, pad profits, and bolster Wall Street partnerships. Meanwhile, Ascension has spent millions on anti-union campaigns, trying to stop nurses from coming together to advocate for better patient care and safe working conditions.

All this, on top of hospital closures, elimination of labor and delivery services, and blooming workplace violence in hospitals, shows how far Ascension has fallen from its purported calling.

It is time for Ascension to actually live up to its promised mission. Join us on calling on Ascension to adhere to the following Code of Conduct:

•  Invest in patient care. Ensure every hospital has safe, nurse-to-patient staffing ratios to protect patients' right to nursing care
          •  Increase access to vital health care services, not cut them. Instead of eliminating patient care, which Ascension particularly does in low-income neighborhoods, we demand Ascension expand access to services.
          •  Respect the right of nurses to organize.  Let nurses decide for themselves by refraining from captive audience meetings, intimidation, and hiring union busting consultants.
          •  Stop using investment windfalls to enrich executives. In 2019, longtime Ascension CEO Anthony Tersigni and CFO Anthony Speranzo left their roles to lead Ascension Capital, the hospital system’s investment firm, each receiving more than $10 million in compensation in their new role. Current CEO Joseph Impicciche made over $13 million in 2020.
          •  Provide affordable care to low-income patients. In FY 2022, traditional charity care only accounted for 1.9% of Ascension’s operating expenses, lower than the national average. Ascension should adhere to their mission of serving the poor by providing substantially more charity care to low-income patients.

Send the letter

Use the form below to send your message to CEO Joseph Impicciche and other Ascension executives to follow their mission, prioritize patients and nurses!

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