Physicians from Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge said they will ask the state attorney general on Friday to block the sale of the hospital to a Catholic health organization.
The delegation, representing most of the hospital’s physicians, said in a statement today that it objects to the transfer of control to the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System because medical practices deemed unethical by the Catholic Church, such as abortion and tubal ligation, would no longer be available there.
Exempla Lutheran is the only community hospital in Jefferson County.
“What might be appropriate for a Catholic hospital serving a predominantly Catholic population is not appropriate for a community hospital, which serves a diverse population with a variety of medical needs and religious beliefs,” said Dr. Carla Murphy, president of the Exempla Lutheran staff.
“For more than 100 years, Lutheran has served the entire community,” Murphy said.
Under Colorado law, the state attorney general must approve the transfer of assets between nonprofit organizations. Attorney General John Suthers has until Dec. 30 to decide.
Murphy said the staff primarily objects to the requirement that future medical practice would be governed by the Catholic Church’s Ethical Religious Directives.
The Denver Archdiocese has advocated a strict interpretation of church ethics rules.
Exempla Lutheran was formed in 1998 by combining the Sisters of Charity’s St. Joseph Hospital and Lutheran. In 2004, a third hospital, Good Samaritan opened in Lafayette.
Last December, managers agreed to consolidate the ownership of the hospitals with the Sisters of Charity, which would purchase Exempla Lutheran from its other sponsor, the Community First Foundation, for $311 million.
The attorney general’s office spokesman, Nate Strauch, said attorneys have met with interested parties on both sides.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
