The following comes from an Oct. 10 story in the Los Angeles Times.
Escalating its battle with organized labor, Prime Healthcare Services Inc. reached a deal to acquire six nonprofit Catholic hospitals in California, including St. Vincent and St. Francis medical centers in Los Angeles County.
Under the agreement announced Friday by the Daughters of Charity Health System, Prime Healthcare said it would keep all six hospitals open and maintain their existing services, including emergency rooms and trauma centers, for at least five years.
For workers, Prime said it would take on nearly $300 million in pension liabilities for current and retired employees at the six hospitals, which have been struggling financially.
Prime, a for-profit chain based in Ontario, also said it would spend $150 million on capital improvements over three years and maintain most of the hospitals’ 7,600 jobs. Other financial terms weren’t disclosed.
The sale must now win approval from California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, and opponents are gearing up to defeat Prime’s bid.
The Service Employees International Union has been attacking the long-rumored deal for weeks, saying Prime puts profits ahead of patient care. The union has recruited state lawmakers and community groups to oppose the takeover and it plans to air TV ads urging Harris to reject the sale.
“We are not going to roll over and risk watching Prime Healthcare cut services, raise prices and lay off caregivers like they’ve done in so many other communities in California and other states,” said Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
SEIU has ongoing labor disputes with Prime. The union represents 3,700 members at the six Daughters of Charity hospitals and three Prime hospitals.
The sale includes St. Vincent Medical Center near downtown L.A. and St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. Daughters of Charity is also shedding four Bay Area facilities: O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach.
To read original story, click here.
I would not go with the SEIU on anything.
This may be the consequence of ObamaCare plus ObamaPhones and other free stuff.
At one time, Catholic hospitals were beacons of light to many. Now they are just sold off, similar to how our Catholic faith has been prostituted by the modernists/progressives/heretics that control things.
Since Vatican II, we have lost all of our Catholic hospitals! This is a terrible loss! A great deal of patient care, involves a doctor’s caring “bedside manner,” and loving, kind, spiritual care, by dedicated priests and nuns! Oh, what a TRAGIC LOSS!!
Linda Marie,
In too many cases, Catholic patients get better spiritual care at secular hospitals than at so called Catholic ones!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika and His Church!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
It is so necessary, in today’s world, to have truly Catholic hospitals, where our precious Catholic beliefs are daily practiced by caring doctors, nuns, brothers, and priests! Unfortunately, our Church has let the Catholic medical world fall to pieces, since Vatican II! It no longer exists! We suffer greatly, due to this tragic evil!
St. Vincent de Paul, and St Louise are not impressed with the religious congregation they founded. I was a patient at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Los Angeles, where the sisters in their habits were inspirational as well as charitable. This congregation had hospitals all over the United States, in areas that were not Catholic. They instilled the citizens that life was precious and that all had dignity. These sisters also were nurses in non-Catholic hospitals, such as the Santa Fe Railways’s Hospital in Temple, Texas. I am sure these nuns and their habit had a part to play in the television program THE FLYING NUN, because of the coronet the sister wore. Immediately after Vatican II, the nuns modified their habit with the help of Christian Dior, But slowly but surely the habits were replaced with street clothes, then the sisters nursing schools closed, followed by the closing of the hospitals. In cities like El Paso, Texas, the sites of the hospitals are now parking lots, where the Hotel Dieus once stood. Because of the absence of these sisters, and other religious congregations, patients are treated as numbers and things in the hospitals today. Catholic norms and morality towards the sick have disappeared. Visiting and caring for the sick were always part of Catholicism. but they are seldom done in today’s world, except for the Carmelite sisters in Duarte. May St. Michael the Archangel protect us, and Our Lady intercede for us as our society grows more pagan everyday.
SEIU, UAW, AFL-CIO, AFSCME use Union Dues to support abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, etc.
Almost all Union Dues go to support the Democratic Party and their candidates.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/union-leaders-line-up-behind-same-sex-marriage-obama
The article is obviously a union hit piece, but … The truth is that the hospitals can not afford to operate as they did in the past. This is really a decision forced by the economics of the medical industry where healthcare is managed and paid for by the greedy insurance companies. If they will not pay for health care at hospitals, then the hospitals go out of business.. I think we will see more of this happening in the next few years as medical practice (the process part – think six sigma, etc.) becomes better and more centralized. It is a changing industry with lots of innovative business disruptions coming. Its about money.
It is about money.
And is also about (Democratic) government intrusion with Obamacare and their rules and regulations that force us to VIOLATE our Faith.
Abortion, Euthanasia (is coming through the Democratic Party to your State), Contraception, Voluntary Sterilization, etc.
When a nail cut my foot by piercing through my shoe, I went to the local Catholic hospital to have a physician exam it. I told the hospital I had NO insurance, and the receptionist said NO PROBLEM. The physician saw me for one minute and said all was fine. Three weeks later, I received a bill for over $1000.00 along with a nasty letter that I would be taken to court if the bill was not paid. I called up the hospital, and told them that if I were an illegal alien, I would NEVER had received a bill, and reminded them that I was promised to be seen gratis.. This is just one more proof of what I wrote several months ago concerning Catholic Charities: they are neither Catholic, nor are they charitable. I rest my case.
Did Catholic Charities run the hospital? If not, why are you blaming them? Do you actually KNOW that they don’t charge illegal aliens, or did you just tell them that to make yourself feel better about your anger in the situation? If they don’t charge illegal aliens but do charge you, does that mean that charity is not charity if you are not the object of the charity? Where is your charity in this post?
Fr. Karl, its pretty irresponsible of you not to have insurance, wouldn’t you agree?
I would like to know, from the above two KEEPERS OF THE KEYS, which commandment or law of the Catholic Church did I break by not having health insurance? Instead of politely disagreeing with what others write, you go for the juggler vane and attack the writer. This is un-Christian let alone un Catholic. I stand by any and all statements I have made. My point was that, charity is to be followed in ALL instances, not just for uin documented aliens. In the pre Vatican II days, ALL priests and nuns and brothers were NEVER charged for medical procedures, even at NON CATHOLIC institutions. My facts are correct.
The reality that your facts are correct is precisely why you are attacked, Fr. Karl. God bless you for posting despite the naysayers. It is important that folks understand the reality of situations instead of the political/social spin of why ‘now’ is so much more charitable and sophisticated.
Can’t imagine how the above detractors would treat their own grandparents. Any inference of life before the Great Depression or a factual WWII account would result in the ‘mercy’ of duct tape or a Valium to make their ‘loved one’ happy.
Good grief.
And Father Karl, when I grew up in the 40-50’s my pastor didn’t have to put money in the parking meters (excuse me, his priest driver didn’t have to) because he was “special”, the fact that he had a Chrysler Imperial not withstanding. This is not the 50’s. In this day and age every responsible adult should have insurance for him/her self and family. The Diocese and the various Orders all provide available insurance for priests, brothers and nuns. I was on a parish finance council for seven years and I can assure you that the insurance was paid every month, as well as workers’ comp insurance, retirement plans, etc. Were simply talking about responsibility, not church law. Your previous note, intimating that somehow you are special, is what is driving young people, and some of the older ones, away from the church.
Father karl is so used to feeling so above everyone else that he cannot stand to be criticized and stands by his “facts”. What facts? He is the one who went for the jugular of Catholic Charities when a catholic hospital – possibly completely unrelated to Catholic Charities — didn’t give him free health care. Guess what? You don’t get a free lunch!! And you have the nerve to say catholic charities is uncharitable if “illegal aliens” get free health care -which even if it were true would would be callous and ridiculous. And to think we went for the jugular. Boy, the clericalist attitudes we have to put up with are incredible. Cry me a river Father Karl.