The third and final CMC/DHH community forum has been confirmed as follows:
Date: Monday, November 16, 2009
Location: NH Institute of Art, 148 Concord Street,
Manchester, NH
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
The public is invited to participate in this forum...and to offer comments and ask questions about the proposed affiliation to better inform our own efforts.
Keep Catholic pro-life healthcare in New Hampshire
Speak up at the next public forum.
Protest the ACQUISITION of
pro-life CMC by pro-abortion Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Please go to http://www.ahealthiertomorrow.org/community.html for additional details and procedures for the forum.
You can go to http://www.ahealthiertomorrow.org/comments.html to submit questions in advance.
While we have many unanswered questions and concerns, here are two [Thanks to Rich Girard ] signifcant ones:
1. Will the Bishop be able to remove CMC from this "integrated system" if he finds violations of the ERDs or for any other reason?
Section 3.9.1 C of the By Laws of Dartmouth Hitchcock Health requires a super majority vote of its board members to approve the "withdrawal or removal of a Provider Organization from the System", of which CMC will be one. That board starts with 18 members and can go up to 24 and only 3 will come from CMCHS and at least 60 percent of the board will come from Dartmouth or Mary Hitchcock hospitals] So, it looks like the Bishop may not be able to pull CMC out unless DHH agrees.
2. How are the ERDs preserved and CMC's Catholic heritage ensured?
Dr. Stephen Paris, medical director of Dartmouth's Manchester facility, has admitted that abortion referrals are made by the very same doctors in the very same facilities CMC will lease. Giles and others note that "non-allowed" procedures will simply be billed to patients through Dartmouth, not CMC, after they've been done, in compliance with Section J. Section J of the Amended and Restated Professional Services Agreement specifically allows Dartmouth to continue with any and all "non-ERD procedures and activities." It also references "Exhibit A," which is supposed to list "some of the procedures and activities…that are expressly excluded from this Agreement." Exhibit A is blank. Alyson Pitman Giles, President and CEO of CMC, has admitted that West Side Clinic joint venture with Dartmouth, which is physically located in CMC, engage in practices not allowed by the ERDs.
Please make the sacrifice to attend this public forum. We, the concerned public, need to be seen and heard. If you can't be at the forum, go to http://www.ahealthiertomorrow.org/comments.html and submit questions in advance.
Last, please go to http://www.nhrtl.org/ and let us know what you've done. One aspect of this struggle is documenting the degree of concern in the general population. Our records of your comments could make a big difference.
For Life
Kurt Wuelper
NHRTL, President
