Health progress (Saint Louis, Mo.)
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Two Catholic health systems, the Daughters of Charity National Health System and the Sisters of St. Joseph Health System, came together to create St. Louis-based Ascension Health in 1999. ⋯ The Sponsors Council then engaged in a rigorous identification and selection process, after which, on July 1, 2006, it welcomed two lay members. Ascension Health will continue to develop its own preferred culture and identity. As the system's metamorphosis unfolds, personal conversion, a new way of relating to others, and changes in both attitudes and values will be necessary.
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Although they are healers, physicians are not themselves immune from "secondary stress." In fact, they may be more susceptible to it because they tend not to acknowledge the fact that it exists. In this article, the author, a hospice physician who is a former nurse, explains her personal strategy for combating secondary stress: increased emphasis on maintaining a healthy personal spirituality. Her approach includes morning reflection during her morning fitness activities, making time for family and leisure activities, and, most importantly, incorporating spirituality into her daily work. Bringing her spiritual self to the office and invoking spirituality at the "right" time--not just at set, convenient times--has helped her deal with today's challenges: time pressures, the threat of litigation, reimbursement issues, and misaligned incentives.