A Message from the REACH Director
REACH, Reflecting on Ethics and Catholic Healthcare was developed as an initiative to increase students’ knowledge of Catholic health care ethics. This partnership between faculty in Philosophy, Theology, and the School of Nursing began in the spring of 2019 with an integration of Catholic health care ethics into the BSN curriculum under the leadership of Dr. Valerie Schluter as part of FranU’s Quality Enhancement Plan.
REACH supports the mission of the University to educate and form Franciscan servant
leaders and strengthen the Catholic and Franciscan identity of the University. The
image of the hands on the REACH logo represents the hands of Saint Francis who cared
for all of humanity especially the downtrodden and forgotten of society. Catholic
health care ethics recognizes the inherent dignity of all persons and like Saint Francis
seeks out the underserved of today’s society. The REACH initiative focuses on respect
for all life and the foundational concept of human dignity.
By December of 2021, REACH was fully integrated into the BSN curriculum and in co-curricular
activities. Theology faculty sponsor nationally known bioethics scholars twice a year
for campus discussions and a one credit hour graduate course in bioethics has been
added as a requirement to all graduate programs.
REACH continues to expand through new initiatives, such as the REACH: Virtue Ethics
for Educators & Clinicians Faculty Learning Community and the REACH Badge for undergraduate
and graduate students. New REACH Faculty Fellowships are also available for faculty
in clinical and healthcare-related programs.
In Christ,
Hannah Woldum Ragusa, Ph.D.
REACH Director & Assistant Professor of Philosophy
REACH Mission
The mission of REACH: Reflecting on Ethics and Catholic Healthcare is to advance FranU’s mission by educating and forming students, faculty, staff, and members of the wider community in Catholic healthcare ethics.
REACH Vision
The vision of REACH: Reflecting on Ethics and Catholic Healthcare is to support FranU’s vision to become the premier Catholic University in the Gulf Coast region by fostering academic excellence in Catholic healthcare ethics, increasing knowledge of the vision and basic tenets of Catholic healthcare ethics among faculty, staff, and the wider community, and cultivating facility in using Catholic healthcare ethics to guide ethical decision making in practice.
REACH Student Learning Outcomes
After implementation of REACH, students will be able to:
- Describe the basic tenets of Catholic healthcare ethics and its relationship to the mission and values of the University.
- Distinguish Catholic healthcare ethics from other ethical approaches such as principlism, deontology, and utilitarianism.
- Discuss how Catholic healthcare ethics can be used to guide ethical decision making in professional practice.
- Apply Catholic healthcare ethics to specific cases and simulations.
REACH Goals
- Expand REACH across all clinical and healthcare associated academic programs at FranU.
- Increase knowledge of the vision and basic tenets of Catholic healthcare ethics among faculty, staff, and the wider community.
- Foster student excellence in Catholic healthcare ethics through ongoing education, formation, and scholarship outside the classroom.
- Cultivate facility in using Catholic healthcare ethics to guide ethical decision making in interdisciplinary and interprofessional contexts.
Upcoming REACH Events
Twice each year, in fall and spring, FranU hosts a Bioethics Lecture Series featuring a nationally-renowned speaker on Catholic ethics. This lecture series supports the REACH mission to educate and form students, faculty, staff and members of the wider community in Catholic healthcare ethics.
2026 Events to Be Announced
REACH Badge
St. Francis and the Leper
How does the story of St. Francis and the Leper apply to Ethics and Catholic Healthcare?
