Louisville Ky Newspapers

Archbishop defends Catholic healthcare merger with hospital

"If something calls itself a Catholic ministry, it is the responsibility of the bishop to ensure as best we can that that indeed is an accurate title," Kurtz told a meeting of the Rotary Club of Louisville about the pending merger of Catholic, Jewish and University hospital systems in Louisville and other Kentucky cities.

In the speech, as well as a column published Thursday in the Archdiocese of Louisville 's newspaper, Kurtz spoke for the first time publicly about the impending merger since controversies arose over the how it would affect healthcare procedures prohibited under Catholic doctrine.

Kurtz emphasized that all Catholic directives on health care must be followed.

The merger, which also needs the approval of Gov. Steve Beshear , would combine University Hospital with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and the Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System, which is owned by Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives.

CHI would have a controlling ownership stake and, along with St. Joseph, appoint a majority on the board of the new entity.

The approvals of Kurtz and Lexington Bishop Ronald Gainer are required for the combined entity to officially be a Catholic institution, as is planned.

Kurtz also said in a brief interview he couldn't foresee a situation in which University or Jewish hospitals would operate under Catholic ownership without also following the formal Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Heath Care Service.

Critics fear that health care could be curtailed at University Hospital — a core element of the city's public healthcare network, particularly for the poor — because of Catholic restrictions on such things as end-of-life decisions, emergency abortions and tubal ligations.

"Certainly members of the community have a right to ask questions about how health care is provided, especially in the midst of major institutional changes," Kurtz said in a column in Thursday's edition of The Record, the Archdiocese of Louisville's newspaper.

"However, this dialogue should proceed in a respectful and fair manner. When church teaching is caricatured and sound provision of services is dismissed as bigotry, no one is truly served."

Dr. Edward Halperin, dean of the University of Louisville School of Medicine , said Kurtz's comments did not surprise him.

Mayor Fischer Names New Director at MAS - Metro News Item - Metro ...

Two members of new management team also named

Mayor Greg Fischer has tapped a leader at The Humane Society of the United States to be the new director of Metro Animal Services and lead the agency in a transformation in which no adoptable animal is killed.

Justin Scally, of Maryland, currently is interim leader of disaster services for the Humane Society. He responds to national disasters, such as the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri and the wildfires in Arizona, to help rescue pets and animals in danger.

“Justin is the exact leader we need to transform Metro Animal Services to make it the best animal agency in America,” Fischer said. “He’s bright, he’s experienced and he’s compassionate – and passionate – about animals.”

Scally also has supervised and managed the agency’s national effort to combat illegal animal operations and has conducted investigations in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies and deployed rescue teams to save dogs being bred in puppy mills. He is the former director of the Wayne County Department of Animal Control in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he helped construct a new $2 million animal adoption education center.

Scally said it’s his goal to turn Metro Animal Services into a best-in-country model and today he named two members to his senior leadership team:

· Donald Robinson as assistant director of operations. Robinson has 10 years of experience in managing complex operations in union and non-union environments. He currently works for Allied Automotive Group in Tampa and formerly worked for the same company in Louisville.

· Margaret Brosko as senior manager of special initiatives and communications. Brosko is currently communications manager at Metro Parks. She is a former TV news reporter and worked in customer service at Grand Canyon National Park.

Scally, a former newspaper photographer and a volunteer firefighter, will being his new job Aug. 8 and will be paid $90,000.

He began his animal career as a veterinary technician and assistant at a clinic in Glen Burnie, Maryland. He then was named an animal control officer in Millersville, Maryland before being named Director of Animal Control in Wayne County, North Carolina.

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