Catholics should not invest in big hospitals

The announcement that Bon Secours Health System will be merging with Mercy Health of Ohio should come as no surprise to people familiar with American Catholic health care, as this has become a trend (“Bon Secours Health System, Mercy Health to complete merger in the fall,” July 23). We are told that these mergers will result in greater efficiencies in health care delivery, but is that really true?

American Catholic health care has a rich tradition. Originally, congregations of nuns established hospitals to meet a vital need. They made risky financial investments and provided immense sweat equity. They were leaders in nursing education. That was then, but now we are in a very different environment with insurance and government aid allowing for first-class medical treatment. Concurrently, we are seeing a significant decline in vocations to religious life, and the nuns who are left are aging. What are the real differences between Catholic hospitals and other supposedly not-for-profit hospitals? In the not-sodifferent past, one could tell the difference, but I believe that is no longer the case.

Catholic chaplains are available in all hospitals. At this time in history, most American nuns assigned to hospitals are administrators or provide pastoral care. And it appears that nuns who sit on the corporate boards of hospitals are really no better than their lay counterparts.

The Sun has previously reported on the outrageous salaries of the CEOs of not-forprofit hospitals in Maryland, and the data showed that the board members of Catholic hospitals were no better in exercising due diligence in financial matters. Catholics are told that we are to believe in the preferential treatment of the poor, but how can that be realized if so many poor financial and ethical decisions are being made? I believe that we are moving away from the original mission of Catholic hospitals. We know that affordable health care is a major issue in our country, and it does not appear that Catholic health leaders are willing to rethink their mission with the goal of providing the leadership required at this moment in history.

Catholics need to critically rethink the mission of Catholic health care as the current idea of owning large hospitals and hospital systems appears to be deeply flawed. We don't want to be part of the problem. I believe that Catholic religious congregations should divest themselves of these large hospital systems and invest in the community in a smaller and more meaningful ways.