BALTIMORE (RNS) — As U.S. Catholic bishops gathered for the fall meeting of their conference on Tuesday, Nov. 12, they were expected to discuss their reactions to the presidential election, implementing Pope Francis’ agenda and the recently concluded Vatican summit on the church’s agenda. future.

A group of sisters were there to remind them that Catholics want them to talk about the Catholic Church’s role as a major health care provider in the United States as well. At a rally outside the Marriott Waterfront Hotel, members of National Nurses United demonstrated to bring to the bishops’ attention their concerns about Ascension, one of the largest Catholic hospital systems in the country.

Ascension St. in Baltimore. “Church fathers, tell Ascension it’s time to treat Ascension like Catholics,” Meghan Ross, a Catholic sister who has worked at St. Agnes for eight years, said at the rally.

In January, National Nurses United, a union representing nearly 225,000 registered nurses, released a report alleging that Ascension closed labor and delivery units between 2019 and 2021 at a rate higher than the national average. These closures disproportionately affected areas with high poverty rates and black and Latino communities, the Report noted.

Beyond the union’s concerns, The New York Times nationally reports expressed concerns About Ascension’s personnel practices and Statisticsan online magazine focused on health care, described the hospital system as “moonlighting as a private equity firm.”

Nurses from Ascension hospitals in Wichita, Kansas, and Austin, Texas, flew to join the Baltimore nurses.

The sisters asked the bishops to intervene to ensure that Ascension complies with the bishops’ stated guidance for Catholic health care, officially called the Ethical and Religious Directives.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel in Baltimore. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain)

Some nurses alleged that Ascension failed to comply with these directives by disproportionately withdrawing money from hospitals in poor communities, closing labor and delivery units and pediatric units, understaffing hospitals, and engaging in unfair business practices, including retaliation, threats, and violence. He entered the Marriott to hand out leaflets. intimidation.

“If Jesus came to the hospital right now, he wouldn’t get the care he deserved,” said Monica Gonzalez, a Catholic nurse who works in the neurological unit at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin. “Ascension doesn’t do that. “As a Catholic, this saddens me the most because I know what Jesus’ mission is.”

“The Ascension is doing its best to disobey his teachings. And that’s unfortunate because all we want to do is make sure we take care of our neighbor,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said he had spoken to a few bishops who seemed mostly “open” and that the issue was “on their radar.”

“But I think being on the radar is not enough. “We are asking them to pressure the hospital to do what their mission statement says and call on them to meet the needs of our patients,” Gonzalez said.

Union leaders told RNS they invited the bishops of Baltimore, Austin and Wichita to join their rallies, but none showed up on the cold, windy beach outside.

Bishop Michael Olson, chairman of the health issues committee in Fort Worth, Texas, declined an interview request, saying the nurses’ concerns would be better addressed by the doctrinal committee that issues the Ethical and Religious Guidelines. The new leader of that committee, Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of Brooklyn, New York, also declined an interview request.

Christian Kendzierski, executive director of communications for Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, told RNS in an email: “The Archdiocese appreciates and praises the dedication and commitment of the nurses and the intensive care they provide, and as negotiations continue well, a promising outcome is achieved.” Looking forward to doing it.” faith.” Lori declined an interview request.

Baltimore Ascension nurses voted to form a union last November and have been in negotiations since February of this year. The union says Ascension has failed to bargain in good faith over safe staffing levels, protection against interruptions in patient services and protection against lawsuits over billing disputes, surprise billing and overcharges.

Melissa LaRue, a member of the collective bargaining team and an intensive care unit nurse, said in a statement: “The church teaches that all people should be treated with dignity, but every day in our hospital we see humiliation, extremely unsafe staffing, and workplace violence due to Ascension’s relentless pursuit of profit.” with, even on an hourly basis.

He told RNS he frequently sees unsafe staffing on his unit, where each nurse is expected to care for two patients. “Most of the time we have to stretch and take care of three, and that’s very dangerous,” he said.

AscensionSt. The hospital’s approach to staffing and patient care is “based on evidence-based practices and flexible staffing models designed to respond to the needs of our patients,” Agnes marketing director Justin Blome said in a statement. He added that the hospital is working to recruit and retain employees as part of its commitment to “supporting our employees and providing safe, quality care to our patients.”

AscensionSt. Agnes also said that she had “negotiated in good faith since contract talks began” and was determined to continue “in accordance with the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching, which ensures that we respect the human dignity of everyone and respect the human dignity of all.” “We act fairly and equitably towards our business partners and union partners.”

At their rallies, the sisters were supported by Baltimore City Council President-elect Zeke Cohen and several local Catholics.

The Rev. Ty Hullinger, pastor of Transfiguration Catholic Parish in Baltimore, told the sisters that bishops “have the duty and obligation to listen to you.” “They need to hear and act,” he said.

As the first workers to form a union at a Catholic institution in the archdiocese, Hullinger told the nurses they were benefiting from the legacy of Moses, who founded the first labor union.

“How many times did Jesus do the same job you did?” Hullinger wanted the nurses to get better. “When Jesus is with you, when Moses is with you, when all our sisters and brothers are with you throughout the millennium, you will win this war.”