There are some who might say that any publicity is good, regardless of the nature of the story. I’m not sure that’s true, particularly as it relates to recent Guest Opinions, Letters to the Editor, and Editorials in the Ashland Daily Tidings.

Despite our best efforts to communicate openly and honestly about our affiliation decision, there seems to be a significant misperception about the nature of Dignity Health.

Dignity Health was founded in 1986 as Catholic Healthcare West, a system of faith-based Catholic hospitals. In 1991 CHW began to welcome secular hospitals into the system. CHW grew to a system of 40 hospitals – 25 were and remain faith-based, and 15 were always secular institutions.

In January 2012 CHW restructured and became Dignity Health to reflect a change in governance structure. Dignity Health is a secular organization. It neither considers itself to be a ministry of the Catholic Church nor is it considered by the Church to be such a ministry. Dignity, like its predecessor Catholic Healthcare West, remains a home to both faith-based and secular hospitals.

Dignity’s Catholic hospitals are governed by the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Facilities” and are subject to the decisions and policies of the Church.

Dignity’s secular hospitals are governed by a “Statement of Common Values” and are not subject to Church authority. The “Statement of Common Values” is very patient- and physician-centered. It recognizes and respects the privacy of the physician-patient relationship; recognizes that there is no obligation for a patient to begin or continue life-sustaining treatment; and acknowledges the patient’s right to forgo medical treatment even when such a decision may result in the person’s death.

The “Statement of Common Values” does not permit elective non-emergent abortion, in-vitro fertilization, or physician-assisted suicide. These are services that are not normally provided in a hospital setting and are not now among the services provided at Ashland Community Hospital. The reproductive services currently provided at ACH, including reproductive sterilization and the prescribing of contraceptives by hospital-employed physicians can and will continue under a partnership with Dignity Health.

Our Board of Directors has been very aware of and sensitive to the issue of affiliation with a faith-based organization. The Board spoke at length with representatives of Dignity Health about their roots in the Catholic tradition, their new governance structure, and the impact of an affiliation with Dignity. The Board concluded that the size, support, expertise, resources, and strategy that Dignity brings to our hospital were the best option for supporting the continued viability and growth of our hospital. Their deliberations certainly included thoughtful consideration for the values of the community we serve.

At Ashland Community Hospital, we are committed to quality in all that we do. The Hospital has robust organization-wide, departmental, and medical staff quality management programs that focus on quality, safety and patient satisfaction. Both patient safety and employee safety are critical to the delivery of quality health care. Nationally, numerous evidence-based evaluation measures are used to determine our performance. We are proud of our accomplishments in these areas as demonstrated by the following indicators:

- The hospital’s patient satisfaction scores, as measured by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ HCAHPS Program, are above CMS benchmarks in all nine dimensions of performance. The hospital is consistently rated very high on the issue of “would recommend to family and friends.”

- The incidence of surgical site infections at ACH is lower than most National Health Safety Network benchmarks.

- ACH consistently has no incidents of ventilator associated pneumonia, a significant issue for many hospitals nationwide.

- The ACH Center for Wound Care received a Center of Excellence Award from Diversified Clinic Services for the second consecutive year. This award recognizes achievement in both wound healing and patient satisfaction.

- ACH has achieved 100% compliance with CMS’ Core Measures for medical best practice.

- The hospital’s 30-day readmission rate for Medicare patients is roughly one-half of the national benchmark.

- ACH received an Award of Excellence for quality outcomes in 2011 from Acumentra, the hospital’s Medicare Intermediary.

- Ashland Community Hospital participates in an annual accreditation survey process. The most recent survey uncovered no significant safety risks and the hospital was recognized for numerous best practices and noteworthy efforts.

Every day we enjoy positive comments and the gratitude of our patients—a daily validation that we are providing the right care close to home. But the objective, data-based measures of hospital medical treatment are proof of the quality health care we deliver—a level of quality in which our entire community can rightfully take pride.

A new year is upon us. I suspect that there are many who are glad to see 2011 come to a close. The past year hasn’t been an easy one. A poor economy with high unemployment, wars, natural disasters, social unrest, political gridlock—these factors have led to a great deal of stress and uncertainty.

We have not escaped the impact of uncertainty here at our hospital. In August the Board announced plans to seek a strategic alliance with another hospital or healthcare system as the best option for the continued, long-term viability of our community hospital. Change is never easy. It is important to remember, however, that change is not new to Ashland Community Hospital or to any organization.

In its 104-year history Ashland Community Hospital has been privately owned, was city-owned and operated, and is now a non-profit corporation. The hospital has been located at a half-dozen locations around Ashland. It burned down once. It has grown and shrunk in size, added and eliminated services, and continually changed and evolved to meet the changing needs of the community and the changing demands of healthcare. So in the big picture, the changes that we are facing now and in the year ahead are really nothing new to the hospital but rather just the next chapter in an ever-changing organization.

Regardless of ownership, structure, location, or services one thing that has remained constant is the Hospital’s commitment to providing for the healthcare needs of the communities it serves. The Board of Directors is committed to this mission and to the continued support of this mission within the context of a new relationship.

We should all take pride in what our hospital has been in the past and in what we are today—and look forward with pride and enthusiasm to the next evolution in the valued delivery of compassionate, high quality healthcare close to home.