Colorado SDA Hospitals & End of Life Law

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

http://atoday.org/adventist-hospitals-opt-out-of-colorados-medical-aid-in-dying-law/

[Green Cochoa]

2 hours ago, Gregory Matthews said:

See:

http://atoday.org/adventist-hospitals-opt-out-of-colorados-medical-aid-in-dying-law/

Quote

The Adventists hospitals are part of Centura Health, a non-profit, faith-based health care system. It is run as a joint operation of Catholic Health Initiatives and Adventist Health Systems.

I'm still rubbing my eyes to see if I read that correctly.  ???  What happened to following the Bible and being obedient to God's commands, such as the one in 2 Corinthians 6:14?

[Gregory Matthews]

Green:

If you are referring to the Catholic/Adventist union, your are years late.  This happened years ago.

It should be noted that at the time it happened, there was as much opposition to it from the Roman Catholic Church as there was from the Adventists.

As to you reading it correctly: The published statement is correct.  It is a joint operation.  But, you may not be reading it correctly.  In what manner do you believe it to be a joint operation?   In what manner do you understand that it is NOT a joint operation?  A ask because if you understand its organization, there are aspects in which it is NOT a joint operation.

NOTE:  This joint operation was put into operation in 1996.  IOW we are in the 21st year of its operation.  During those years the opposition to this joint operation, from both Catholics and Adventists, has ceased from those who know how it has operated.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

From Wikipedia;

Quote

The Centura Health network, Colorado's largest,

^[4] employs more than 17,100 people^[5] and 6,000 physician partners across Colorado and western Kansas and includes hospitals, clinics, urgent cares, physician practices and other health care facilities. Centura Health had a net operating revenue of $2.6B in their last fiscal year.^[6] Centura Health's facilities and services include Avista Adventist Hospital, Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, Centura Health at Home, Centura Regional Float Pool, Centura Senior Living and Long-Term Care, Flight For Life Colorado, Littleton Adventist Hospital, Mercy Regional Medical Center, OrthoColorado Hospital, Parker Adventist Hospital, Penrose-St. Francis Health Services (Penrose Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center), Porter Adventist Hospital, St. Anthony Hospital, St. Anthony Mountain Clinics, St. Anthony North Hospital, St. Anthony North Medical Pavilion, Summit Medical Center, St. Catherine Hospital, St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center, St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center and St. Thomas More Hospital.^[7]

See also:

https://www.centurahealthathome.org/About-Us/Our-Sponsors/

[Gregory Matthews]

For information as to the original Centura Health Vice President of Mission &Ministry, see:

NOTE:  I believe that Stephen  King does not presently hold that role.

http://www.spoke.com/people/stephen-king-3e1429c09e597c1003dd6243

[Green Cochoa]

5 hours ago, Gregory Matthews said:

If you are referring to the Catholic/Adventist union, your are years late.  This happened years ago.

It should be noted that at the time it happened, there was as much opposition to it from the Roman Catholic Church as there was from the Adventists.

Well, it is manifestly evident that there was insufficient opposition to it.  We need more people willing to stand in the gap who will stand up and be counted when principle is involved.  It seems Colorado Adventists are at the forefront of compromise, almost to the point where one might ask "Can anything good come from Colorado?"  I would suggest there is no better time than the present to disentangle ourselves from such a yoke.

[Gregory Matthews]

1)  What is the entanglement to which you object?

 

2) How has the union negatively affected the mission and ministry of the SDA denomination?

3)  How is  this a yoke?

 

Green, let us be specific.  If you did not know of a situation that has been in place for about 21 years, and were not aware of all of the publicity given to this by both official and independent SDA related publications, how can you know enough about it to tell us that it is bad?    Exactly what is it in this arrangement that you know exists and to which you object.  Tell us exactly the problems that you believe either now exist, or could exist in the future.

Why do you smear Colorado Adventists, when actually the denominational leaders in Colorado had little to do with it?  Remember, the legal distance that exists between the religious activities of the denomination and clinical services. 

NOTE:  Remember that for some years, in the NAD, the health services have had a degree of legal separation from the religious services of the SDA Church. 

[Gregory Matthews]

For the benefit of those who may not be well aquainted with the SDA healthy CAre system  I will talk about lit for a bit.  My comments apply within the NAD and to the United States.   The y are not intended to apply to our health care facilities in any country other than the U.S.

1)  SDA Churches are organized in a manner that qualifies them for 1st Amendment protection as churches. 

2)  The SDA denomination has affiliated organizations that may not qualify for 1st Amendment protections as they are not considered to be churches.

3)  These entities are generally organized under the provisions of U.S. law that allows them to a not-for-profit business.  AS they do not have the 1st Amendment protections afforded to churches, they may be subject to civil laws that also apply to secular organizations.  But, if they are managed at required by the law under which they were organized, they may be exempt from most taxes.   However, they may have to pay some taxes.

NOTE:  As I understand it, from the limited information that is available, this is the problem in Guam where the government has filed a lawsuit against the SDA  denomination alleging that its health-care was not organized as a not-for-profit organization and therefore is required to pay multiple millions of dollars in back tax and fines.

4)  SDA clinical care is generally provided by organizations that have been registered as a not-for-profit organization.  Often, those organizations are a SDA organized organization.  However that is not always true.  The property is sometimes owned by an organization that is not related to the SDA denomination--it may be a government organization, or it may not be.   In such cases, that provider of clinical care is managed by a SDA related not-for-profit organization. 

5)  In the currant health are environment, many hospitals are struggling to life within their income.  They struggle to cut costs and to generate income.

6)  As such many hospitals have united with other hospitals to be managed in certain specific business areas by an  outside organization.  That business organization, in representing a group0 of hospitals, is typically able to obtain materials and medications at a lower cost than    could be obtained by the hospital.  In addition, that organization is able to supply the employees to obtain such at a lower cost than the individual hospital could obtain them.  In the secular world, this has been a major factor in keeping small hospital alive.  And it has resulted in some hospitals being given to SDA related organizations who them provide and manage the clinical services.

NOTE:  I once lived in an area with a local SDA hospital who had a SDA chaplain.  The hospital was owned by a quasi-government organization and managed by an SDA affiliated organization.  LHoweer, after many years of sDA management, the quasi-government agency gave the contract to another non-religious organization.

7)  Folks these situation exist in the hospital managed by a SDA related organization.

8)  This is a substantial part of the union that exists in Centura Health between a Roman Catholic group of hospitals and a SDA group of hospitals.  The RC and SDA hospitals decided that inorder to remain competitive, they needed to cut costs.  They did not find any other organization that they wanted to affiliate with.  So, they began to talk to each other.

9)  However, there is one difference between the situation with Centura and what typically exists in other situations.  With Cntura all of the affiliated health=care organizations are related to a religious denomination.  Therefore, Centura has a Vice-President for Mission & Ministry.  That Vice-president does not tell any of the hospitals what their mission & ministry is.  Rather, the function and purpose of that VP is to make certain that: 1) Each hospital haa a clearly defined mission and ministry, and 2) that such is appropriately funded.

10)  Steve King, as senior SDA pastor was the first Centura VP for Mission and Ministry.  As such, he worked with both RC And SDA hospitals as I have stated in # 9.  The RC hospitals clearly defined and practiced their mission and ministry in terms of the RC faith.  ?The SDA hospitals did the same in terms of the SDA faith and practice.

11)  There is nothing in the manner in which the Centura hospitals are organized that would allow someone outside ht RC Denomination to tell the rC hospitals how to do their mission and ministry.  The same is true for the SDA hospitals.  In actual fact, the RC hospitals do it differently from the SDA hospitals.

NOTE:   In actual fact,  one of the SDA, CEntura hospitals has a full-time employee whose function is to sponsor and lead in mission trips to other countries where clinical services are provided. 

NOTE:  In actual fact, I know of a SDA, Centura hospital that has sends its High-level administrators to a small hospital in another country to advise that hospital in its operations.

12)  At the present time, Centura has been a blessing to our Colorado SDA hospitals.  O.K.  The time may  come when we do not have any SDA hospsitals operating in the UK.S.   If that happens, it will be true for hospitals that are not associated with Centura.

 

 

 

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

A couple of additional comments:

As a result of Centura SDA ministry has been enhanced.  Programs have been attempted, evaulated and either dropped or continued.

The children of Centura employees (Remember Centura employees are largely non-SDA.) have been financially supported to attend a SDA Summer camp.

Local congregations have been financially supported in local health ministry.