PENSACOLA, FLORIDA -- On April 29, leaders from Sacred Heart Health System joined more than 60 colleagues from other Ascension Health hospitals around the country on a visit to Capitol Hill to advocate for health care coverage for all Americans.

Currently, an estimated 66,000 residents of Escambia County - one out of every five people -- lack health insurance. 

 "Every day, the doctors and nurses at Sacred Heart's hospitals in Pensacola and Walton County see first-hand the damage done to the health of children and adults who delay getting checkups and needed medical care - all because they lack health care insurance," said Patrick J. Madden, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System. "The American health care system itself needs to be healed. It is not working for tens of million of Americans, especially the poor and the 47 million people who are uninsured."

Sacred Heart Health System is a member of Ascension Health, the nation's largest Catholic and largest nonprofit healthcare system.  Consistent with a system wide commitment to achieve 100 percent access to healthcare and 100 percent coverage, Ascension Health is encouraging others to become involved and vocal in the national dialogue around healthcare reform.  Ascension Health believes that healthcare reform should be the nation's number one domestic policy priority.

"In this election year, we want Congress and the new president to commit to comprehensive changes in our health care system that achieve health care coverage for all Americans," Madden added. "Perhaps the goal of coverage for all must be reached in steps. But we need business and community leaders and individual citizens to push in the same direction - to build a new health care system that leaves no one behind."

During their visit to Capitol Hill, Sacred Heart President and CEO Patrick J. Madden and Sacred Heart's Chief Operating Officer Laura Kaiser met with U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, Jr., U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

For more information about Ascension Health's efforts in support of access to healthcare for all Americans, visit www.ascensionhealth.org.

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PHOTO CAPTION:
Sacred Heart CEO Patrick J. Madden and Sacred Heart Chief Operating Officer Laura Kaiser meet with Congressman Jeff Miller and staff during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, April 29.