Catholic health group leader resigns

Mercy Sr. Rosemary Sabino, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of Wisconsin for 13 years, has resigned, effective Aug. 10.

The Catholic Health Association is made up of Catholic hospitals, long-term care facilities, and clinics in 52 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. As president, Sr. Sabino has represented 14 Catholic health care systems and 24 religious congregations, along with the five Catholic dioceses who supervise or guide these facilities.

After 25 years in health care, Sr. Sabino will move to Florida to take care of her 92-year-old mother.

Sr. Sabino joined the Catholic Health Association of Wisconsin in 1988 after 10 years with Mercy Health Services in Farmington Hills, Mich., and as executive director of the Mercy Consultation Center in Dallas, Pa.

The Catholic Health Association of Wisconsin, which is based in Madison, advocates for various issues affecting Catholic health facilities, including tax exemption, advance directives, end-of-life legislation, and stem cell research.

The association has several educational programs that focus on value-based health care. These include RISEN - a nursing program used in many Midwest hospitals and nursing homes - and "Medicine in Search of Meaning" for physicians.

Sr. Sabino served on Cardinal Stritch University Board of Trustees, Milwaukee, and chaired the Advisory Committee for the MBA Program in Madison. She also served on committees and task forces at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

She was on the board of the Wisconsin Association for Biomedical Research & Education and served on several state agency committees and task forces dealing with health issues.