Religious Regulations Could Complicate Merger Between Catholic Health Initiatives And Dignity Health
Under the merger, all but one of Dignity's non-Catholic hospitals would be placed in a separate not-for-profit corporation and allowed to continue performing medical services that are deemed immoral by the church. But if church authorities later found this arrangement unethical, some or all of the non-Catholic hospitals could be severed from the combined CHI-Dignity system, which has yet to be named.
Modern Healthcare:
CHI-Dignity Merger Approval May Hinge On Catholic Religious Rules For Care
Catholic religious rules could pose serious obstacles to the pending merger between Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health, a deal that would create the nation's largest not-for-profit hospital company by revenue. Those rules, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, substantially shaped the way the deal, initially announced in 2016, was structured. The reason is that 15 of Dignity's 39 hospitals are historically non-Catholic and provide services that are prohibited under Catholic doctrine, forcing the dealmakers to craft a merger model that worked around the directives. (Meyer, 8/11)
The New York Times:
As Catholic Hospitals Expand, So Do Limits On Some Procedures
After experiencing life-threatening pre-eclampsia during her first two pregnancies, Jennafer Norris decided she could not risk getting pregnant again. But several years later, suffering debilitating headaches and soaring blood pressure, she realized her I.U.D. had failed. She was pregnant, and the condition had returned. At 30 weeks, with her health deteriorating, she was admitted to her local hospital in Rogers, Ark., for an emergency cesarean section. To ensure that she would never again be at risk, she asked her obstetrician to tie her tubes immediately following the delivery. (Hafner, 8/10)
And in other news on Dignity Health —
Sacramento Bee:
Dignity Health Invests More Than $1 Million In Sacramento Homeless Initiative
Dignity Health Sacramento announced Friday it will contribute $1.65 million to the city’s homeless initiative. The health system said $1.2 million will allow the triage shelter on Railroad Drive to stay open an additional three months until November, an extension The Sacramento Bee reported earlier this week. (Holzer, 8/10)
Capital Public Radio:
Sacramento’s Newest Homeless Shelter Was Set To Close, Then This Local Hospital Stepped Up
The center opened in December and was originally planned to close in March, but donations from private groups and Sutter Health kept it open through the summer. Now, Dignity Health’s donation means another three months of medical treatment, guaranteed meals, computer access and heating or air conditioning for the 200 homeless people served in the converted warehouse. (Caiola, 8/10)