Ascension Texas is rooted in the healing ministry of Christ

By Ricardo Gandara | Correspondent

Often a successful and growing company relies on its roots to move forward, expand and find new ways of doing things.
Ascension Texas, which serves Central Texas with 14 hospitals and 100 clinics and employs more than 12,000 people in 19 counties, turned 20 years old this year. It would be remiss to discuss the giant faith-based organization without recognizing the legacy of Seton Medical Center in Austin, truly the backbone from the start.
In 1999, the Daughters of Charity National Health System merged with the Sisters of St. Joseph Health System in Michigan to form Ascension Health, according to Ascension archives.
Ascension operates Ascension Providence in Waco and Ascension Seton in Austin, collectively referred to as Ascension Texas. This includes Dell Children’s Medical Center, the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level 1 trauma center, and the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center for adults, according to Ascension history.
Ascension has grown to become one of the leading nonprofit and Catholic health systems in the U.S. providing patients with acute care services, long-term care, community health services, psychiatric, rehabilitation and residential care.
All of this is accomplished with the centuries-old way of expressing God’s love through services to the sick, poor and the destitute.
Today Ascension Texas is a leader in responding to the pandemic by treating and caring for people afflicted with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
Andy Davis, president and CEO of Ascension Texas, said that as of late June there were 522 discharged COVID-19 patients from hospitals and 576 more patients in clinics. The numbers change almost daily. There have been 10,925 drive-through COVID-19 tests and 168 more mobile tests.
There have been more than 89,371 virtual care visits since early March, many of them related to the virus.
“A year ago, we had 50 virtual care visits a day compared to 1,300 visits now. We had to figure out new ways to offer care, and how do we serve better today than yesterday and tomorrow … As we move forward, when you have this kind of volume, this will become a more standard approach of how we offer care,” Davis said.
In these challenging times, Ascension Texas has been able to operate without layoffs.
“Our strength is people … We’re proud of that,” Davis said.
Community response to the pandemic has played a key role, he said. More than $738,000 in donations have been made for the COVID-19 response. More than 42,000 meals have been provided to employees. In addition, as of June 12, more than 185 units of supplies like masks, gloves and gowns have been donated.
Through a complex history and name changes, the name Ascension Texas emerges today. Now there is a unified logo incorporating Ascension and Seton.
“Ascension is trying to keep the legacy of that name,” said Sister Joanne Vasa of the Daughters of Charity and chair of Ascension Texas board of directors.
What transpires today all goes back to 1902 when the Daughters of Charity, at the behest of a group including some Catholics, were asked to build a hospital to care for the sick. The modest 40-bed hospital, originally the Seton Infirmary would lead to the building of the Seton Medical Center on 38th Street in Austin.
Seton is the namesake of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a widow who established a religious community in Maryland and adopted the philosophy of St. Vincent de Paul. She is the first American-born Catholic saint.
Through it all, their steadfast commitment to Christ has remained: “Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and destitute,” reads a part of the mission statement.
“There have been great blessings since we joined in 1999 to strengthen Catholic health care to be vibrant and faithful to our mission,” Sister Vasa said. “Yes, there have been bumps along the road.”
Derek Covert, mission director for Ascension, said the organization remains committed to the ministry of healing.
“Our history since 1902, but it’s really centuries old, is to be a healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Ascension is spiritually centered to provide holistic care,” he said.