Catholic Healthcare West becomes Dignity Health, will they provide abortions?

Catholic Healthcare West has officially left the fold -- while under the figurative direction of the Sisters of Mercy. The organization vehemently insists that the new organization, now known as Dignity Health, will still adhere to its previously stated mission and values, which include a strict pledge not to provide abortions. However, the facility will no longer fall under the authority of the Church.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - This change opens the door to the possibility of Dignity Health centers providing abortions or other objectionable services at some later point in the future.
 
Sister Judy Carle, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and the only Sister of Mercy on the board, explained, "This name and structure reflect who we are and what we stand for." What this ultimately means, is that with this change, Dignity Health no longer stands for the Catholic Church, at least not in its entirety. 

Dignity Health is not a ministry of the Catholic Church. 

Despite secularizing the organization, the Dignity Health website clearly states that the Catholic hospitals, which are part of the organization, will remain Catholic, and the secular hospitals which are also part of the organization - and those they acquire later, will remain secular. 

The change comes after years of discussions between sponsors, supporting organizations, management, and the board. Dignity Health is preparing for the changes that President Obama's health care initiatives will bring as well as making plans to acquire additional facilities. Some of those facilities may not be Catholic. 

Lloyd Dean, CEO of Dignity Health explained in an interview with Kaiser Health News, "One of the things when we get down to what I'll call the real discussions as they confer with their boards is, 'What does the future mean if we're a non-Catholic entity? Will we have to become Catholic? What will be the Catholic influence?'"

It's believed that by reducing ties with the Catholic Church, it will be easier for Dignity Health to acquire non-Catholic hospitals. 

To be clear, the organization insists that some services will still not be provided. Those services include abortion and in vitro fertilization. The document which outlines those precepts is Dignity Health's Statement of Common Values which still remains in full force and effect for the time being.
However, not providing a service at the present and adhering to a living document, leaves open the possibility that these policies can change, which has some Catholics alarmed.

Colin Cameron, professor of health economics at UC Davis said of the change, "There's a lot of consolidation going on, both for efficiency gains, which the announcement emphasizes, but also to get more market power. It's not clear yet what going national does for them, but there should be some economies of scale."

Dean explained the motivation for change by saying, "The manner in which health care is delivered and organized in the United States is changing. It is our intent to be a solution to the nation's health care crisis - regardless of the eventual outcome for the Affordable Health care Act."

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While Dignity Health is in acquisition mode with the intent to expand, it remains unclear as to why severing official ties with the Church was necessary, other than to assuage the potential concerns of secular institutions in negotiations. After all, Catholic hospitals have enjoyed expansions before while serving as a ministry of the Church. 

Furthermore, while it is clear that Dignity Health will continue to abide by the strong Catholic values and mission of the former Catholic Healthcare West, there are few assurances, if any, that a board formed of a secular majority with fiscal concerns at the fore, will continue to abide by those ideals years into the future. 

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