Boston Globe asks restrictions on sale of archdiocesan health-care system

August 23, 2010

In an August 22 editorial, the Boston Globe asked Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley to recommend new conditions on the sale of Caritas Christi, the health-care system of the Boston archdiocese.

Under Massachusetts law, Coakley has the authority to examine the terms of the sale of Caritas Christi, a non-profit corporation, to a for-profit investment firm, Cerberus. The Globe asked the attorney general to seek a commitment that Cerberus would not sell the system’s 6 hospitals for at least 7 years after the official purchase. The editorial argued that such a commitment is necessary to ensure the long-term stability of Massachusetts health-care services. Catholic critics of the proposed sale have argued for a similar commitment in order to preserve to the Catholic identity of the Caritas Christi hospitals. The existing sale agreement allows Cerberus to re-sell the hospitals, and thus end any commitment to Catholic identity, in 3 years.

In a related development, the Globe noted that officials of the Boston archdiocese have reacted to critical blogs run by anonymous critics of the archdiocese, making those site inaccessible to the computers at the archdiocesan chancery.

 

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Further information:

• Caritas deal sounds good, but more assurances are needed (Boston Globe)
• Archdiocese limits access to critics’ blogs (Boston Globe)