By Matthew Keck–
The University of Louisville plans to finalize their acquisition of KentuckyOne hospitals by renaming two of them.
U of L announced on Aug. 14 that they would be buying KentuckyOne’s Louisville hospitals, which includes Our Lady of Peace and Sts. Mary and Elizabeth hospitals.
Our Lady of Peace and Sts. Mary and Elizabeth hospitals will undergo name changes after the deal is final. According to a FAQ on U of L Hospital’s website the hospitals won’t follow the directives of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church’s directives include conditions that prohibit heterologous and homologous fertilization, surrogate mothers, non-therapeutic experiments on living embryos, and they cannot promote or condone contraception practices.
“U of L is a public institution that receives taxpayer money. We cannot follow the directives of the Catholic Church nor can we be seen as promoting the beliefs on any particular faith tradition,” said U of L spokesperson John Karman. Karman said that all three parties involved in this purchase have agreed that the names must be changed.
“U of L Health is committed to honor this rich history and to support the hospitals, their employees, physicians and community in keeping the traditions that make them unique and special,” according to the university FAQ. “We have formed a culture work group to help ensure that each facility will maintain the traditions they cherish and celebrate the heritage of each individual hospital.”
Another FAQ said that Jewish Hospital will not undergo a name change and honor the traditions and culture of the hospital. They also noted that Jewish Hospital is not managed under Jewish faith so there is no religious affect.
U of L said that they are working with their leadership team and others to develop names for these hospitals. There a has been no mention of possible names at this time.
Matthew Keck // The Louisville Cardinal
