San Francisco, Calif., Jan 24, 2012 / 04:08 am
Catholic Healthcare West, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., is changing its name to Dignity Health while adopting a non-denominational governing board in an effort to expand.
The new structure and name will help the organization to “grow nationally while preserving the identity and integrity of both its Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals,” Dignity Health said Jan. 23.
The system’s Catholic hospitals will continue to be Catholic under the direct sponsorship of their founding religious congregations and will adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services produced by the U.S. bishops.
The non-Catholic hospitals will continue to be non-Catholic and will adhere to the “Statement of Common Values.” Those rules prohibit abortion and in-vitro fertilization but not sterilization procedures like tubal ligations, the Sacramento Bee reports.