Two icons of local Catholic health care are leaving their longtime leadership posts. Sister Sheila Lyne, who served as president and CEO at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, 2525 S Michigan Ave., for 27 years over two separate stints, announced her retirement in December, while Sister Elizabeth Van Straten, a Religious Hospitaller of St. Joseph, departed her position as president and CEO of St. Bernard Hospital, 326 W 64th St., on Jan. 1. Father William Grogan, the archdiocese’s vicar for health care, credited both Lyne and Van Straten for shepherding their respective hospitals through challenging times. “These are two highly competent individuals who built on the foundations of their predecessors, but also gained the experience and insights to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other health care administrators and industry personnel,” Grogan said. He also praised both religious leaders for maintaining each institution’s caring mission and their dynamic involvement in health care policymaking, particularly for the non-insured and underinsured. “Both of these hospitals cared for people that others walked away from and did this out of service to God,” Grogan said. “The religious commitment of both of these women allowed others to see Christ in action.” Resuscitating Mercy Hospital Lyne joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1953 and the staff at Mercy Hospital, the city’s first chartered hospital, in 1970 as an assistant vice president. In 1976, the former psychiatric nurse assumed the role of president and CEO, a position she held until 1991 when Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed her Chicago’s Commissioner of Public Health. With Mercy Hospital facing severe financial issues, Lyne returned to Mercy Hospital in 2000 and spearheaded a turnaround effort that resulted in year-over-year volume increases, newfound stability and a partnership with Trinity Health, one of the nation’s largest Catholic hospital networks. Mercy Hospital spokesperson Connie Murphy said Lyne, who holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, embraced the Sisters of Mercy’s long-held mantra to focus on growth and innovation rather than temporary fixes. “There wasn’t room for trial and error [when I returned in 2000], so we had to jump in and get things done,” Lyne said. Under Lyne’s leadership, Mercy developed a nationally recognized Heart & Vascular Center, one of the city’s few Certified Stroke Centers, 11 medical satellite centers and a state-of-the-art Breast Care Center. As Mercy Hospital’s board searches for its next CEO, a process expected to be complete by late spring, Lyne will retain her executive post. When the transition to a new CEO is complete, she will officially retire and become senior advisor to the Mercy Foundation, the hospital’s fundraising and public policy lobbying arm. “There’s no better person to be out there telling our story,” Murphy said. Stabilizing a neighborhood anchor The last of four hospitals that once served the Englewood neighborhood and its surrounding communities, St. Bernard’s was near closing when Van Straten assumed the chief executive role in 1992. She immediately brought enthusiasm, insight and results to an institution that soon positioned itself as a community anchor. Van Straten, a member of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph order that founded St. Bernard’s in 1904, oversaw the addition of a professional building, the launch of a pediatric mobile health unit and the construction of Bernard Place, a 70-unit affordable housing development. Van Straten also played an instrumental role in addressing health disparities on the city’s South Side, leading the way toward programs that provided free mammograms, children’s dental services and prenatal support. She also organized behavioral health services and led St. Bernard’s to a national ranking in emergency medicine. While Van Straten respectfully declines interview requests, she said in a statement announcing her retirement: “For the past 34 years, St. Bernard Hospital has been my home. I’ve always looked upon my tenure here as a privilege to have guided and guarded the hospital’s mission as a caring, healing institution.” Van Straten’s successor and longtime colleague, Charles Holland, called Van Straten, who remains on the hospital’s board and its head of pastoral care, “a tremendous leader for the hospital.” “Sister Elizabeth took over at a time when the hospital was in a vulnerable state and set the direction for what would make this a great institution,” Holland said. The future of Catholic health care The retirements of Lyne and Van Straten symbolize the changing face of Catholic health care leadership. When Lyne arrived at Mercy Hospital in 1970, 40 sisters filled the hospital’s 12th floor living quarters. By mid-2013, no Sister of Mercy will hold a full-time position at the 161-year-old hospital. St. Bernard’s shares a similar tale of change. Over the last century, more than 100 nuns served at St. Bernard’s; Van Straten’s departure ends that line. As Holland settles into the CEO’s seat at St. Bernard’s, Lyne said Mercy Hospital’s next leader will almost certainly be a lay individual. “I think that’s a given,” Lyne said. Grogan said Catholic hospitals around the country are exploring how Catholic health care — a modern-day representation of Christ’s healing work — will continue as the number of religious leaders decline and lay individuals assume top roles. “This is a real concern,” Lyne said. “Will there be that mission effect?” For his part, Holland certainly looks to maintain the spirit employed by Van Straten and her religious sisters at St. Bernard’s. Holland prepared for his executive role by having close conversations with Van Straten about the hospital’s values and tradition; traveled to the R.H.S.J.’s motherhouse in Canada as well as some of the order’s other hospitals; and completed the archdiocese’s Ministerial Leadership Preparation Program, which prepares laypeople to assume leadership roles. “St. Bernard’s has a mission and cause I can embrace and these experiences have been instrumental in preparing me to take on this role,” Holland said. “I want to make sure the sisters’ spirit remains an integral part of St. Bernard’s.”