From the 1/3/2021 email from savesecularhealthcarewa@gmail.com:
An interview with Susan and Carollynn was published on December 21 in an extensive article in the Liberation News (https://www.liberationnews.org/community-concern-in-washington-state-over-hospital-merger/). Check it out!
On December 21, CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason inked a formal request to be permitted to merge. This means the request is up for review by our state Attorney General’s Antitrust Department and the Federal Trade Commission. This was not unexpected, but it does mean we need to step up remaining efforts to delay or stop the merger. Even if you took action last week, please do the following four things again this week in the order listed here.
1. Call Governor Jay Inslee’s office: Telephone: 360-902-4111, option 2 (so you don’t need to listen to all of the COVID info). Leave a message and then wait to select the ‘mark this message urgent’ option before sending your message. Script: I am calling to urge you to act immediately to protect Washingtonians’ access to comprehensive health care services by implementing a six-month moratorium on agency decisions related to pending hospital transactions (mergers and acquisitions). A merger is a major change and should not happen during a pandemic. We need have time to pursue legislative options.
2. File an anti-trust complaint with the FTC (https://www.ftc.gov/faq/competition/report-antitrust-violation) to explain how this merger will negatively impact you. Focus your discussion on reduced access to legal healthcare options, limited secular jobs for workers who have objections to the Ethical and Religious Directives required by employees and to different mission statements of the two entities. Additional talking points are available on the Letters to AG and FTC Commissioners subtab on the Actions You Can Take tab in our LiveBinder.
3. Call Attorney General Bob Ferguson at (360) 753-6200) and email at atg.wa.gov with the same concerns that you expressed to the FTC: Explain how this merger will negatively impact you. Focus your discussion on reduced access to legal healthcare options, limited secular jobs for workers who have objections to the Ethical and Religious Directives required by employees and to different mission statements of the two entities. Additional talking points are available on the Letters to AG and FTC Commissioners subtab on the Actions You Can Take tab in our LiveBinder. Also, visit https://www.atg.wa.gov/antitrustunfair-trade-practices.
4. Write a letter to the editor of the Sun or other newspaper you read/subscribe to.
Another letter to the editor opposing the Virginia Mason/CHI Franciscan merger was published in the Kitsap Sun on December 29. If you have not yet written to your local newspaper to express your concerns, please do that this week. A guide for writing letters to the editor is available in our LiveBinder on the Write a Letter to the Editor subtab on the Actions You Can Take tab.
We are not giving up. If we are unable to delay or stop the merger, there are still legislative remedies that can be put in place to create greater oversight of mega healthcare systems. We are working on that starting this month.