Church and society. developments during the Schwitalla years, 1928-1947

As CHA evolved and expanded in the 1930s, it became a more complex organization with wider responsibilities--and more intractable problems--than it had had before. The third article in the six-part Health Progress series on the history of CHA (April 1990) described the struggles of Rev. Alphonse M. Schwitalla, SJ, the association's second president, to develop effective CHA programs and policies on nursing education. CHA's relations with other national Catholic organizations, the growth and eventual autonomy of its Canadian member hospitals, and its role as an advocate of federal healthcare legislation during the Depression and World War II are covered in this article. Next month's installment will describe CHA's modernization and expansion under the leadership of Rev. John J. Flanagan, SJ.