By Patrick McGroarty
News Editor

A healthcare advocacy group is urging Dorchester residents to request a hearing from the state Department of Public Health that would require Ascension Health Care, a St. Louis-based provider that has entered negotiations to purchase the Caritas Christi Health Care system, including Dorchester's Carney hospital, to participate in a community meeting that the DPH would then take under consideration when approving Ascension's operating license.

The licensing approval process, which the DPH refers to as Determination of Need, includes a stipulation that a meeting must occur if ten residents from within a hospital's catchment area request it.

Laurie Martinelli, an attorney with Health Law Advocates, an affiliate of the nonprofit advocacy group Healthcare for All, says that such a meeting would be an on-the-record opportunity for Carney's patients and neighbors to ask for assurances from Ascension executives related to the type of care Carney provides and the presence it will maintain in the community.

"If the sale is processed without a community process, it's a closed deal," said Martinelli. It's CEOs and CEOs at a table with no one to make sure that what's being done is right for the community. It's a chance to say 'Caritas has been great, but there are unmet health needs we would like the DPH to make sure the new hospital owner takes care of."

Donna Rheaume, a spokeswoman for the department of health, confirmed that the department would organize a community meeting if a group of at least ten residents requested it.

"It's a public process, it's a hearing and we listen to any concerns of anyone regarding any of the changes of ownership." Rheume explained that public testimony given during such a meeting would be taken under advisement by the Public Health Council, the organ of the DPH that would give final approval to the sale. Such a meeting can be requested after a purchaser formally files an application for licensure, which Ascension has not done.

Rheaume did not say when such a hearing could occur, but noted that the timeline for Ascension's determination of need is tight because they are trying to complete the process for all six hospitals in the Carnitas system by July.

Stephen D. LeResche, vice president of communications for Ascension Health, said in a statement that Ascension would be open to participating in such a process.

"Because we are just now beginning extensive due diligence, we are still familiarizing ourselves with the review process," wrote LeResche. "We will participate fully in whatever the process involves. We know that the Carney plays an important role in Dorchester. In fact, the operations at Carney closely reflect Ascension Health's mission to serve all with special attention to the poor and vulnerable."

According to Martinelli, when Carney was sold from the Daughters of Charity to Carnitas in 1996, her organization did not connect with enough residents to trigger such a meeting.

Dorchester residents interested in requesting a community hearing through the department of health can do so by contacting the department's determination of need office.