Dixon’s KSB Hospital Merger with Catholic Organization Sparks Reproductive Healthcare Concerns

DIXON – Some Dixon residents say they are concerned about restrictions on reproductive healthcare services as the former KSB Hospital undergoes a merger with OSF HealthCare. The hospital’s partnership with OSF was made official May 10, when the two organizations announced in a news release that they’d signed a term sheet and expected a full merger. OSF will officially take over operations Jan. 1. KSB will be renamed OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center, becoming the 17th hospital in the OSF ministry.

Funding and Policy Changes

Although its merger with OSF comes with a significant amount of funding, a total of $40 million - something that KSB desperately needs to keep its doors open - it also comes with significant changes to policies. As a Catholic healthcare organization, OSF abides by the directives set forth in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Service. After Jan. 1, OSF Saint Katharine will abide by them as well, Paul Arco, media coordinator at OSF HealthCare, said in an interview with Shaw Local News Network.

Restricted Healthcare Services

Within those directives, Sarah Schlegel, president of PFLAG Sauk Valley in Sterling, pointed out many limitations to healthcare services that “terrify” her “for a whole host of reasons.” Linda Wegner of Dixon said in an interview with Shaw Local: “It’s too bad we’re going to have some restricted services due to OSF being Catholic.” She added, “I am especially concerned about women’s reproductive care. There’s going to be some services for some people that they’re not going to be able to get.”

Directives on Terminating a Pregnancy

One of Schlegel’s concerns is the hospital’s limitations around performing medical and surgical abortions. The ERD defines “abortion” as the “directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable fetus,” according to the booklet. “Abortion is never permitted,” directive No. 45 says. In an email interview with OSF HealthCare, the organization said, “in Catholic health care, respect for human life and dignity prevents us from participating in directly intended abortion.” However, they noted: “We provide medically indicated treatment for women experiencing serious health issues, ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages to save the woman’s life and preserve her health.”

Medical Birth Control and Contraceptive Practices

Schlegel also pointed out that Catholic healthcare organizations are also limited in the methods they can offer to prevent unwanted pregnancies. “Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices,” according to ERD directive No. 52. That includes medical birth control methods like taking prescribed medication, getting an implantation and procedures including a tubal ligation and a vasectomy, according to directives 52 and 53. Regarding these limitations, Wegner said: “You almost have to ask ahead of time what services they do or do not provide before you get started with a doctor here because you wouldn’t want to get into it and waste his time, her time, or your time and money and then have to go somewhere else.” Instead, OSF HealthCare said, “Catholic health care supports reliable, fertility awareness-based methods of family planning rather than sterilization to prevent pregnancy.”

Infertility Treatment and Alternatives

On the other hand, woman who are struggling to get pregnant also have limited options, Schlegel wrote. The ERD says on page 16, “reproductive technologies that substitute for the marriage act are not consistent with human dignity.”

Summary of Merger Information

• New Entity Name: OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center
• Total Merger Funding: $40 million
• Operational Directives: Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Service
• Effective Date: January 1