Grassley’s office told RNS that it had received a response from Ascension Illinois and was reviewing it to determine next steps. “Ascension staff, regardless of their employer, should be able to share their concerns without fear of retaliation, including those regarding staffing and patient safety,” a Grassley spokesperson wrote.
“Senator Grassley remains committed to ensuring uninsured and underserved patients are able to receive care, and will continue monitoring SCP Health’s compliance with Ascension Illinois’ charity care program,” Grassley’s office continued, noting that the senator has conducted oversight of charity care at nonprofit hospitals since 2016.
Ascension has taken an increasingly prominent role in Catholic institutions in the last few months.
Joseph Impicciche, Ascension’s chief executive officer, was named the chairperson of the Catholic Health Association’s board of trustees earlier this month. Representatives for the Catholic Health Association did not respond to RNS questions about the association’s position on partnerships with private equity.
Ascension is listed as a “premium mission partner” of the National Eucharistic Congress, the culminating event for a three-year evangelization initiative that has been a key priority for the U.S. bishops’ conference. Only seven other entities are at the same or higher sponsorship tiers for the congress, and Ascension sits at a higher tier than the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops itself. No other major Catholic hospital system is sponsoring the congress.
Earlier this year, a nurses union and health care experts rang alarm bells about Ascension’s high rate of labor and delivery unit closures, especially in areas with high poverty rates. More than 15 U.S. Catholic bishops did not respond or declined requests for comment on that report from RNS.
This article originally appeared here.
