Catholic Health System To Control Colo. Hospitals; Some Concerned About Reproductive Services

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Public Health;  Sexual Health / STDs;  Abortion
Article Date: 25 Aug 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Under a deal announced Wednesday, the Kansas-based Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, a Roman Catholic-affiliated health system, will control three Colorado hospitals, the Denver Post reports. The move would require the hospitals to follow Catholic directives regarding health care, and advocates are concerned about access to emergency contraception, abortion and other services that the Catholic Church opposes. The deal between Sisters of Charity and its co-sponsor, Community First Foundation, includes the sale of Exempla Lutheran in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Colo., both of which are owned by Exempla. According to the Post, Sisters of Charity -- which owns nine hospitals in four states -- already controls the third hospital, St. Joseph Hospital, an Exempla facility in Denver. Exempla's board fought the deal and will meet on Monday to consider whether to take further action. The deal is designed to lift financial restrictions that have delayed improvement projects at the hospitals.

The ownership change means that Lutheran and Good Samaritan will no longer offer abortion, tubal ligations and vasectomies. According to data from Sisters of Charity, the two hospitals in 2008 performed two abortions and 362 tubal ligations and vasectomies. In 2006, the hospitals performed one abortion and 419 sterilization procedures. Coloradoans for Patients' Rights, which has filed a lawsuit to block the policy change, argues that the Catholic directives will cause inconveniences and financial hardship for area residents. Roland Halpern, the director of community relations for the group, said sexual assault survivors would have to travel to Denver to visit a clinic or hospital that would dispense EC (Brown, Denver Post, 8/20).

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