Haitian Hearts to Monmouth?

From the Catholic Health World, January 15, 2007:

“OSF Healthcare System, Peoria, IL, plans to buy Community Medical Center of Western Illinois, Monmouth, IL, by March and to rename it OSF Holy Family Medical Center.

“The Community Medical board members said they believe “OSF has the size, strength, and expertise to address the complexities of modern health care, to provide Community Medical with access to capital, and to assist Community Medical in responding to the pressures of current and future government and insurance reimbursement policies.” The board members also noted that the mission of OSF is “very compatible” with that of Community Medical.

“Plans call for OSF to retain all of Community Medical’s employees, maintain the services the facility provides, look for ways to enhance those services, and invest in the campus. Upon completion of the deal, which is pending regulatory approval, OSF Holy Family will follow the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.”

The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services were written by the National Conference of Catholic bishops and approved as the national code by the full body of bishops at its June 2001 general meeting.

The Ethical and Religious Directives state:

“Catholic health care expresses the healing ministry of Christ in a specific way within the local church. Here the diocesan bishop exercises responsibilities that are rooted in his office as pastor, teacher, and priest.

“…the diocesan bishop fosters the mission of Catholic health care in a way that promotes collaboration among health care leaders, providers, medical professionals, theologians, and other specialists.

The Ethical and Religious Directives first chapter is “The Social Responsibility of Catholic Health Care Services”. Many of the Directives come from the Bible:

”First, Catholic health care ministry is rooted in a commitment to promote and defend human dignity; this is the foundation of its concern to respect the sacredness of every human life from the moment of conception until death. The first right of the human person, the right to life, entails a right to the means for the proper development of life, such as adequate health care.

”Second, the biblical mandate to care for the poor requires us to express this in concrete action at all levels of Catholic health care. This mandate prompts us to work to ensure that our country’s health care delivery system provides adequate health care for the poor. In Catholic institutions, particular attention should be given to the health care needs of the poor, the uninsured, and the underinsured.

”Third, Catholic health care ministry seeks to contribute to the common good. The common good is realized when economic, political, and social conditions ensure protection for the fundamental rights of all individuals and enable all to fulfill their common purpose and reach their common goals.”

Based on the fact that OSF’s new medical center will adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives, it appears that Haitian Hearts patients will be treated in Monmouth?

John A. Carroll, MD
www.peoriasmedialmafia.com