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Officials planning the merger of two Catholic hospitals - the Albany-based St. Peter's Health Care Services and Seton Health, which runs St. Mary's Hospital in Troy - with Northeast Health, which operates Samaritan Hospital in Troy and Albany Memorial Hospital, both secular, say the new entity would respect the Church's pro-life stance and advance its service to poor people. 

Indeed, under the merger, abortions would cease at Samaritan and Albany Memorial hospitals. Currently, each performs "a small number" annually, according to hospital officials.

The officials said the affiliation would adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to govern the operation of Catholic healthcare services. 

Leaders of the Albany Dio-cese were not directly involved in the merger talks, but Bishop Howard J. Hubbard was kept abreast of developments as the negotiations progressed. 

"After consulting with several Catholic moral theologians, [Bishop Hubbard] is comfortable that the proposed arrangement, as reflected in the memorandum of understanding, comports with Catholic teaching and practice," stated Ken Goldfarb, diocesan director of communications. 

Hospital officials announced last week that they will consolidate operations under one governing board within a year. The new system would be a giant locally, with 12,000 employees and 125 sites. Officials said the merger talks would have no immediate effect on facilities or staff.

Sister Clarisse Correia, DC, chair of the board of trustees at Seton Health, said the merger would allow Seton and St. Peter's - which will retain their Catholic identity - to better fulfill their mission while coping with the changing healthcare landscape. 

"We're looking forward with excitement, but there are many unanswered questions," she said. "I am very confident that we will figure out a merger that is legally acceptable and acceptable to the Church under Bishop Hubbard's auspices."

Steven Boyle, chief executive of St. Peter's, echoed those sentiments. "St. Peter's has a mission to be a transforming, healing presence within the communities we serve," he said. "Most important for St. Peter's is that Northeast Health and Seton share a strong, values-based dedication to address today's challenges and improve the health status of our communities."

Charitable goals
The director of Catholic Charities for the Albany Diocese said the merger would advance the Church's broader mission. 

"These two Catholic hospitals have a preferential option for the poor," said Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM. "I am happy with that and that all the ERDs are being maintained, and that the quality of care will be maintained."

Mr. Boyle would serve as chief executive officer of the new system and Northeast's James Reed would be president. 

Only recently did Seton Health join the consolidation talks; its CEO, Gino Pazzaglini, does not yet have a role determined. He acknowledged the difficulty of merging different hospitals.

Northeast and St. Peter's have developed an agreement, or memorandum of understanding (MOU), designed to respect their different heritages and cultures. 

Officials expect a similar MOU to be reached with Seton.

After the merger, Northeast and St. Peter's (with its parent corporation, Catholic Health East) would maintain their respective secular and Catholic identities. Sister Clarisse said Seton would also remain Catholic. 

The new parent corporation would be a secular organization, but it would join Catholic Health East as a member. 

More details 
Hospital officials noted that most practices and services at Northeast and St. Peter's facilities already follow the ERDs. However, Northeast will help create a separate healthcare entity at Samaritan Hospital, a "hospital within a hospital," to provide prenatal care, birthing and sterilization procedures (tubal ligations and vasectomies). The new entity will be a separately-licensed and independent organization.

"This has been done in other parts of the country, and it doesn't relate to the services provided at St. Mary's," said Sister Clarisse. She emphasized that the merger would allow Seton to fulfill other aspects of the ERDs and Church teaching, such as care for the poor and indigent. 

"The Daughters of Charity have been here since 1850 and we want to continue that commitment," she said.

It will be up to Seton and St. Peter's, primarily, to ensure adherence. In their directive concerning healthcare partnerships, the U.S. bishops state: "The Catholic partner in an arrangement has the responsibility periodically to assess whether the binding agreement is being observed and implemented in a way that is consistent with Catholic teaching."[[In-content Ad]]

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