Healthcare advocacy groups around Washington launched a website in July week that provides a list of what services Washington hospitals do and don’t provide. The website was created in response to the rise of Catholic-affiliated healthcare in Washington and around the country, diminishing the number of hospitals that offer reproductive services, end-of-life care and nondiscriminatory practices.
As of 2016, Catholic-affiliated healthcare makes up 40 percent of all hospital beds in Washington state according to a 2016 report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU). Due to a set of policies known as the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, which are issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic hospitals cannot offer reproductive health services such as contraception, sterilization, many infertility treatments and abortion (even when a woman’s life is in danger due to pregnancy). The directives also bar hospitals from providing as end-of-life care.
The Directives may also result in restricting access to LGBT health services. While there is variation in how Catholic hospitals implement the Directives, these restrictions can put patients at serious risk.
If a pregnancy goes wrong, such as miscarrying or a woman’s water breaking prematurely, ending the pregnancy can be the safest course of action according to ACLU’s “Healthcare Denied” report. If a miscarrying woman arrives at her local hospital and is refused care because of religious policies, she is put at risk for severe blood loss and infection. Travelling to another hospital could put her life in danger.
Not only do nearly half of hospitals not offer these services, but it’s extremely difficult to tell what services a hospital does or does not offer.
“Our concern is that a lot of folks are not aware that the health care providers of facilities in their community restrict services consistent with the Catholic directives,” Margaret Chen, staff attorney at the ACLU of Washington, said.
The ClearHealthWA website, founded with the support of ACLU of Washington, End of Life Washington, Legal Voice, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington and Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, provides a cohesive list of the hospitals in Washington and their services.
This spring, the advocacy groups asked hospital systems statewide to fill out a checklist clarifying clarify the health care services available at their hospitals and related clinics, hospices, and other facilities and then post the checklist on their website as well as submit it to be posted on ClearHealthWA.
As of now, only one hospital, Capital Medical Center in Olympia, has submitted a completed checklist. Capital Medical Center is not Catholic affiliated.
Advocacy surrounding the display of restricted services at Catholic hospitals stretches back for years, Chen said. In 2014, this advocacy led to the Washington State Department of Health issuing regulations requiring hospitals to post their policies regarding reproductive health, end-of-life and nondiscrimination.
However, the policies listed by hospitals are vague and unclear, making it impossible for consumers to figure out what health care services are available. The ClearHealthWA website provides an analysis of these policies so that people can make plans and educated decisions for their healthcare.
To encourage hospitals to complete checklists, Chen recommends that people contact their local hospitals and ask for a response. The ClearHealthWA website provides information to contact hospitals.