On Monday, June 14th, Sr. Rita accepted her award at the CHA banquet in Denver, CO. Also in attendance were Sisters Pat D., Pat E., Mary, Elaine, Anne, Dorothy, Anne Marie, Vicky, Chris & Rosie.
Sr. Rita Thomas, CBS, Sister of Bon Secours, received the Catholic Health Association’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at CHA’s 2010 annual national conference.
Sr. Rita’s health care ministry spans 60 years starting as a nurse and then moving into adminstration as a CEO of hospitals. Her background in health care also includes governance and sponsorship. She was the first CEO to integrate a hospital in Virginia and the first woman CEO in Richmond. She is known for mentoring leaders, her vision of the ministry of Catholic health care, her ability to call forth gifts from others, and her ability to ask the right questions.
Sr. Rita, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, sensed God calling her to religious life and entered the Sisters of Bon Secours as a young woman. After completing nursing school, she became an OB nurse. Her natural leadership abilities quickly became apparant. Her life reflected a desire to address pressing needs through compassionate care for the sick, the dying and the poor. Her sense of justice is most notable in her firm decision to fully integrate a full service 360 bed hospital in Richmond, VA in the 1960s against pressure of construction managers to do the opposite. She is passionate about promoting the dignity of people and their rights.
On Monday, June 14th, Sr. Rita accepted her award at the CHA banquet in Denver, CO. Also in attendance were Sisters Pat D., Pat E., Mary, Elaine, Anne, Dorothy, Anne Marie, Vicky, Chris & Rosie.
CLICK HERE to see the Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System Announcement.
[...] Sr. Rita receives prestigious award [...]