Letter to Catholic Post

Below is a letter I wrote to the Catholic Post regarding Amy Riedell's April 9, 2006 column in the Post. Her article concerned OSF's new $234 million dollar expansion in Peoria. Tom Dermody is the editor-in-chief of the Post and Bishop Daniel Jenky is the publisher. 

It looks like the Catholic Diocese of Peoria and OSF are close when they need to be and that my petitioning for a tribunal court was appropriate. Bishop Jenky was in attendance when Keith Steffen was announcing the OSF expansion.

-----Original Message-----

From: drjohn@mtco.com [mailto:drjohn@mtco.com]

Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 2:33 PM

To: cathpost@mcleodusa.net; pgibson@cdop.org;

keith.e.steffen@osfhealthcare.org; joseph.j.piccione@osfhealthcare.org

Subject: Peoria's Medical Mafia

Dear Tom,

I recently read Amy Riedell's column April 9, 2006 regarding OSF's new medical expansion. 

It is very well written but also should be very embarrassing for Bishop Jenky and the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. Imagine this planned $234 million dollar event announcement just several months after OSF refused Jackson Jean-Baptiste and Haitian Hearts financial offer for his life. He died a very painful and slow death. That, of course, was not reported in the Catholic Post. We were with him and taking care of him the last two months of his life.

Imagine Bishop Jenky having to listen to Keith Steffen talk about the Sisters who founded the hospital and the current Sisters who have very little to do with the day to day operation of the largest hospital in downstate Illinois.

Imagine Bishop Jenky listening to Steffen talk and knowing that Willie Fortune was refused a new pacemaker at OSF with full charges offered by Haitian Hearts. Steffen laughed out the administrative window as Willie stood there on the OSF sidewalk as OSF refused to see him. Willie was 16 years old at the time and weighed about 70 lbs. This doesn't sound like "the greatest care and love" that Steffen professed in his speech, doe it? Bishop Jenky had to be nauseated at that point.

Think of Bishop Jenky's remorse when he heard Sue Wozniak, CFO at OSF, and Board President at Catholic Charities?, talk about the new expansion as a "place of healing". Jackson Jean-Baptiste's and Willie's mothers wouldn't have believed her words.

Think of Bishop Jenky's mindset knowing that his vicar general and canon law lawyer threatened me to go to the media against Haitian Hearts if I petitioned to file a tribunal court against OSF with the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. Bishop Jenky threatened me with the need to come to confessionto him for the "killing of 18 Haitian children" if I pursued a tribunal court. He knew very well what the problems were, but knew he better blame me. When I met with Bishop Jenky, I could see that he was very afraid. Bishop Jenky must have squirmed in his chair when Steffen tied Bishop Jenky to Steffen and OSF by stating that OSF is a "continuation of the ministry" of the Diocese of Peoria under Bishop Jenky's leadership. Another smart move on OSF's part. That of course implied that Bishop Jenky was in agreement with the abandonment of dying Haitian children and OSF's oral contraceptive policy. It also implies that Bishop Jenky and Monsignor Rohlfs should not advise me or any of the Haitian kids to go to Rome to Pope Benedict for pastoral care issues at OSF. Seems like Bishop Jenky should have control according to Steffen and deal with these issues in a Catholic way using Catholic social justice and respecting Humane Vitae (sp) and the Ethical and Religious Directives (regarding health care) in the United States.

I wonder how much OSF donates to the Catholic Diocese of Peoria each year? The laity will never find out.

John Carroll

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