God may not be dead but St. Francis Medical Center has succumbed to mad money and bottom-line medical care.
A 150-year-old hospital, apparently on financial life support for several years, St. Francis will no longer operate as an acute-care hospital. It will remain the location for a Satellite Emergency Department and related services, the Medical Clinic, the CARES program, and as home for the School of Nursing and School of Radiologic Technology. St. Francis will be renamed Capital Health-East Trenton.
Confirmation of death by financial asphyxiation occurs as a final Mass
will be served at St. Francis by Bishop David O’Connell at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Dan Moen, CEO and president of SFMC, described in a letter to employees that, “This will be an opportunity for us to gather and reflect with our St. Francis family.”
“This update is made with mixed emotions, considering our long history in Trenton and the loss of our Catholic identity. I realize this is not easy. Over the past several years, we considered all options as we faced serious, unsustainable volume declines and financial distress. The acquisition by Capital Health is our best and only option. It took years to come to this decision, finding the right organization for our patients and our community. As a respected, local healthcare provider, Capital Health understands the community’s healthcare needs.Together, our combined complementary services will create a stronger, more comprehensive system for those we serve.”
Important in Moen’s explanation is that one notice that, “Over the past several years, we considered all options.”
First, it’s extremely clear that Moen, Capital Health CEO & President Al Maghazehe, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, East Ward Councilman Joseph Harrison and others knew about this plan way before it became public knowledge. Plus, SFMC board members, some compromised by non-disclosure agreements, abandoned public service ethics.
Secondly, Moen should understand that residents, all God’s children have a right to be engaged in conversations about their future, particularly regarding health care and especially in a post COVID-19 world.
Moen’s thought that whatever health care model follows includes “the loss of Catholic identity” continues society’s killing of Christ and disconnect from Christian ideals.
In 2017, San Domenico School in San Francisco cut ties with the Catholic Church, a decision that Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Wash. had foreseen.
In September, Daly told Crux, an online newspaper that focuses on news related to the Catholic Church —
“The loss of Catholic identity, the loss of a mission, is not like a blown-out tire, it’s like a slow leak,” said Daly, the U.S. bishops’ conference’s education committee chair.
“You begin to compromise – the teaching, the classes offered, hiring practices, leadership of your board – and more and more the mission becomes not even secondary, and then you cease to really be Catholic.”
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said almost nothing during this event. Only after the transition, a deal he made in backrooms, did Gusciora speak.
“The healthcare industry is in transition. Virtual health and home-based services boomed during the pandemic and the market is favoring lower-cost, freestanding, and non-acute sites right now,” Gusciora said.
“As I have said, the worst possible outcome would be the outright closure of St. Francis. Had St. Francis closed without being acquired by Capital Health, its CN for cardiac care would have returned to the State with no guarantee it would remain in Trenton. We will continue to monitor the situation and fight for equitable health access for the Capital City,” Gusciora promised.
We know that residents will be compromised by distance, access and care with this decision to close St. Francis Medical Center.
We know that many people lost their jobs or they were promised employment and ended up with nothing. Can you imagine being kicked out on your keister for the holidays?
Through all of the chicanery and distortions of this process, not once did any of the people engaged in their actions ever mention prayer.
When we disconnect from prayer then decisions rest in the hands of men who have a history of mayhem and miscalculation.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
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