Ashland (Ore.) Community Hospital's board of directors will give a presentation Oct. 16 to the City Council on the proposed merger with San Francisco-based Dignity Health, according to a Mail Tribune report.
The proposed merger was announced in April. Ashland Community Hospital's board of directors approved the deal in September, but the City Council needs to sign off as well.
According to the report, the City Council intends to accept public comments on the merger, which has generated mixed reactions. Some people have said the merger is necessary to keep the hospital open, but others have raised concerns over potential changes to healthcare services due to Dignity Health's past ties with the Roman Catholic Church. Dignity Health is not currently controlled by any ethical or religious directives but it does have both secular and faith-based affiliates, according to a fact sheet provided by Ashland Community Hospital.
Dignity Health's statement of common values (pdf) says that direct abortion is not performed, and reproductive services that involve conception outside a woman's body, including in-vitro fertilization, will not be provided. Ashland Community Hospital will be expected to follow Dignity Health's statement of common values under the merger, according to the hospital's fact sheet (pdf) on the deal. While the hospital doesn't provide abortions, and that policy would continue if the hospital affiliates with Dignity Health. However, Ashland does provide abortions if the mother's life is threatened, according to the report.
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The proposed merger was announced in April. Ashland Community Hospital's board of directors approved the deal in September, but the City Council needs to sign off as well.
According to the report, the City Council intends to accept public comments on the merger, which has generated mixed reactions. Some people have said the merger is necessary to keep the hospital open, but others have raised concerns over potential changes to healthcare services due to Dignity Health's past ties with the Roman Catholic Church. Dignity Health is not currently controlled by any ethical or religious directives but it does have both secular and faith-based affiliates, according to a fact sheet provided by Ashland Community Hospital.
Dignity Health's statement of common values (pdf) says that direct abortion is not performed, and reproductive services that involve conception outside a woman's body, including in-vitro fertilization, will not be provided. Ashland Community Hospital will be expected to follow Dignity Health's statement of common values under the merger, according to the hospital's fact sheet (pdf) on the deal. While the hospital doesn't provide abortions, and that policy would continue if the hospital affiliates with Dignity Health. However, Ashland does provide abortions if the mother's life is threatened, according to the report.
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