Holy Cross Sister Carolita Hart, archdiocesan health affairs director, is passionate about the survival of Catholic health care. A convert to the faith who was inspired by the dedication and altruism of Holy Cross Sisters who staffed her nursing college in Indiana, Sister Hart at age 75 advocates to keep local Catholic hospital doors open when many have been forced to close.

It is not, she admits, an easy task. "When I started here, there were 22 Catholic hospitals in the area," said Sister Hart. "Now there are 13."

In an era of spiraling health care costs, capped insurance reimbursements and growing numbers of uninsured patients, operating non-profit Catholic hospitals is a considerable challenge. "We walk a tightrope between balancing the budget and providing millions of dollars of health care to the poor," she said.

So Sister Hart --- who fooled doctors' predictions that she would be an invalid after undergoing cardiac arrest while waiting in the Denver Airport in 1999 --- spends a lot of her time on the phone these days fielding calls from patients, care givers and hospital administrators.

"A lot of calls are about where to put elderly parents. We don't have enough facilities; there are waiting lists everywhere," said Sister Hart. In her busy schedule of networking with Catholic hospitals and serving locally as a board member for the Serra Project and the Community Health Council, she participates in legislative advocacy by writing letters and speaking to government officials to "try to change the unjust health care system" favoring those with financial resources.

"One of the things I try to be active in is working with legislators to make changes in the system so everyone will have access to health care, particularly the poor," Sister Hart declared. She noted some progress is being made toward lowering prescription costs for the elderly and providing low-income children with medical insurance. However, "it's still going to take a while" before all children have guaranteed access to medical care, she said.

She is proud of the archdiocesan-launched Serra Project providing low-cost housing for HIV and AIDS patients now administered as a non-profit agency overseeing three group homes and individual sites in Los Angeles. More than 75 clients and family members live at 44 sites throughout the area in what Los Angeles County officials have declared as one of the finest housing projects in the region.

"It's really a wonderful program," said Sister Hart who, along with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, will be honored at the Serra Project's annual dinner Nov. 9 with the organization's Compassion Award.

She is also proud of the excellent care provided by local non-profit Catholic hospitals as well as the numerous community outreach programs they administer. "The money we would spend on taxes if we were for-profit goes to charity care," she explained.

Besides having a mission to serve the poor, noted Sister Hart, Catholic hospitals have a pro-life policy precluding abortions and sterilizations. "As long as we don't have to concede for our Catholic teachings, we'll be okay," she said. "But if we are forced to provide services like abortions, we'll lose Catholic health care. It would have a huge adverse effect, particularly to the poor because we don't turn anyone away."

After serving during her career in several health-related positions, including RN floor nurse, nursing instructor, family nurse practitioner, and hospital administrator at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Sister Hart is still enthusiastic about Catholic health care. "When I was in nursing school, I was impressed by the Catholic students' high morals and willingness to do things for others," she said.

Their example convinced her to convert to Catholicism, break off her engagement to her fiancé (who didn't want any future children raised as Catholics), and eventually enter the Holy Cross Sisters two years after graduating from nursing school. Health care career highlights include running a family clinic in Salt Lake City for eight-and-a-half years and administering a makeshift tent hospital in Guatemala after the 1977 earthquake.

Diagnosed in February with polymyalgia rheumatica ("PMR"), a painful autoimmune disease caused by muscle inflammation, Sister Hart intends to continue her work in Catholic health care as long as health permits. "God has been very good to me," she said.