The Catholic Diocese of Peoria Abandons Haitian Hearts

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Catholic Diocese Abandons Haitian Hearts

During the Spring of 2003, there were no more meetings with Bishop Jenky regarding Haitian Hearts. OSF had placed Haitian Hearts on suspension after calling the American Consulate in Haiti demanding that no more visas be issued to children needing to travel to Peoria for heart surgery.

I was very disappointed with my meeting with Bishop Jenky in the chancery when he refused a petition for a tribunal court against OSF and repeatedly told me that “this isn’t going to work out” (the survival of Haitian Hearts at OSF). He just seemed very intimidated by OSF and the local business community and I did not think that he would support Haitian children that needed heart surgery based on what he said.

Haitian Hearts wrote up a new agreement for OSF detailing how Haitian Hearts would be run. However Sue Wozniak, CFO at OSF-SFMC, who had been placed on the “new” Diocesan Haitian Hearts committee told us she never read it after my sister-in-law presented it to her. Why would she not even read it? We had read OSF’s set of rules for Haitian Hearts which included details that OSF would control when I took Haitian children back to Haiti. This meant that OSF could send them back to Haiti whether they were ready to go or not after surgery as OSF had tried to do in the past. I thought that this move by OSF could endanger the kids. Also, OSF’s document stated that the Catholic Diocese of Peoria would pay for costs to children in the hospital that were not covered under the contract. However, the Diocese said they would not pay these charges. So the OSF document was extremely deficient and not realistic and potentially dangerous for my Haitian Hearts patients. That is why we had to write our own proposal that Wozniak said she did not read.

In May, 2003, Monsignor Rohlfs called me and told me that the Sisters had made a financial offer to set aside monies in Children’s Hospital of Illinois to help cover surgery. I told him I was grateful for this. He added that I needed to accept the money before any other detail of the program could be discussed. I told him that this would be impossible for me to do due to OSF's trickery in the past. Rohlfs stated that we had to have a meeting which I agreed to, but I insisted that Haitian Hearts know the rest of the details of OSF’s proposal before we accepted anything.

On July 16, 2003 we finally had our meeting. Joe Piccione greeted me at the door of the Bishop Sheen center with a smile and a hand shake which made me worry that the end of Haitian Hearts was near. The meeting was run by Monsignor Rohlfs and Patricia Gibson. Others in attendance were my brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Gerald McShane (wearing his golf shoes), Sister Diane McGrew from Corporate, Sister Judith Ann Duvall, President of OSF, and a friend of mine who had lost her husband to a heart attack after a bungled ambulance experience.

Monsignor Rohlfs started the meeting by saying that I needed to accept the financial offer from the Sisters. I told him again that I needed to know the other “details” of the contract constructed by OSF and the Diocese. He would not tell me any of the details, but Dr. McShane gave us a hint that they were "significant". One of Haitian Hearts' concerns was that if a Haitian child’s bill ran over what was allotted by the Sisters, Haitian Hearts would be blamed in the media like we had been in January 2003) and OSF would demand that it be paid. Rohlfs had said that the Diocese was not going to contribute anything for the Haitian children. Joe Piccione and McShane said that the debt would not be carried over each year but, amazingly, Sister Diane stated that Haitian Hearts would be responsible for any debts, that the debts wouldn’t be forgiven at the end of each year, and that there would be no “caps”. This was what I was worried about, along with the safety of the Haitian kids. Thus, I could see that the OSF people and the Diocese had not really prepared for this meeting and Sister Diane was demanding something Haitian Hearts could not agree to. She was definitely not a happy lady and poor Sister Judith Ann did not say anything again. As President of OSF Corporate, I would have thought she would have contributed something, but her advisors probably told her not to speak so she could not be quoted. In the previous couple of years, in the back hallways of OSF Corporate when no one was listening she had told me more than once that OSF would never turn their back on Haitian children. But now she was getting ready to do just that. 

Monsignor Rohlfs was adamant that no details be discussed until I accepted the plan as it was. We obviously could not accept this. If I accepted the offer and the rest of the contract was bogus, I was cornered and the Diocese and OSF could say that I refused all help for my Haitian kids. The trap was being set. My brother asked for another meeting so OSF and the Diocese could better understand what Sister Diane was saying. Rohlfs said we had just 7 minutes left to make our decision. I showed a framed picture of a little Haitian girl named Pamela needing heart surgery and Rohlfs chided me and called Pamela “my advertisement”. Joe Piccione, OSF Corporate Ethicist called me arrogant and told me that I was “not going to back the Sisters into a corner.” (Pamela never made it out of Haiti and she died.)

Rohlfs ended the meeting in one hour. No other meetings were scheduled and my friend whose husband had died got into a wreck on the way home because she was so upset with the outcome of the meeting.

The Diocese had aligned themselves with OSF and the big money in Peoria. Catholic social justice was not discussed by anyone except Haitian Hearts.

I left for Haiti the next day to begin working again. The director of communications for the Diocese called me in the Miami airport. She is a friend of mine and sadly informed me that the Diocese was pulling away from Haitian Hearts. Elaine Hopkins of the Journal Star interviewed Dr. William Albers, a pediatric cardiologist at OSF. Even though Dr. Albers was not there, and not on the Haitian Hearts committee, he blamed me on the front page of the Journal Star for failing to “negotiate” with the Diocese and OSF. Monsignor Rohlfs and OSF wouldn't negotiate at all with their mandate to accept OSF's offer, or nothing will be discussed. (OSF usually picks someone peripherally involved in an issue who is well known by the community, to talk to the media when necessary. I had actually expected they were going to pick Dr. Albers to slam me and told my family months before...but it hurt because he was another mentor of mine that I really looked up to as a physician.)

I was really sad during my first couple of days in Haiti that so many people had turned on the program and that Haitian kids were going to suffer greatly for decisions made in fancy offices in Peoria.

With the background as presented, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria came out with the press release as follows:

July 18, 2003,

Catholic Diocese of Peoria’s Statement on Haitian Hearts

Peoria—It is with enormous regret that Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, is announcing today that the Diocese of Peoria was unable to successfully facilitate an agreement between OSF St. Francis Medical Center and the Haitian Hearts program. The Diocese originally became involved in the process at the request of the Sisters of the The Third Order of St. Francis. From the beginning, all parties involved were fully aware that there were many obstacles that needed to be overcome for this undertaking to succeed. Despite good will on everyone’s part and many hours of hard work, the parties were unable to come to an agreement. The Bishop would like to publicly recognize the zeal and goodness of the many supporters of Haitian Hearts. He would also like to commend the ongoing generosity of the Sister of The Third Order of Saint Francis for their willingness to make a significant financial contribution had this program been successful.

The Diocese will be making no further comment at this time.

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My 87-year-old mother wrote Monsignor Rohlfs the following letter after the Diocese's pathetic effort regarding helping Haitian children:

Msgr. Rohlfs:

I am quite sure you read Dr. Albers' misinformation in the Journal Star that said that "Dr. Carroll would not negotiate." You know that the reason John could not negotiate was that you would not allow him to do so. You emphatically told everyone at the meeting that John must accept or reiect the sisters' offer of$200,000 before discussing the list of stipulations that accompanied their proposal. You also know that no clear thinking adult would even consider accepting or rejecting without first discussing and negotiating all of the terms that would have to be met first. How could you issue such a senseless ultimatum that is in direct opposition to good business procedures? Why would you not allow negotiations before commitment? Give me one good reason!

I have talked to Dr. Albers and have learned that he was given the false information that John didn't try to negotiate -- Msgr. Rohlfs, you know that even John's written attempt to negotiate (counteroffer) was never responded to. You also know that he asked you verbally at least three or four times and my son Tom also asked for discussion/negotiation before committing to accepting or rejecting the Sisters' proposal. You emphatically refused. In your letter to John announcing the date and time of the fateful meeting, you stated that many things needed to be discussed -- John, of course, totally agreed. Why then did you not encourage discussion and negotiation rather then forbid it?

Surely you know John's reasoning for insisting on discussion and negotiation before accepting the proposal: he would be held responsible if Haitian Hearts could not cover its St. Francis' bill. Had this been you, Monsignor, would you (or the diocese) have agreed to accept the Sisters' offer and take the risk of going bankrupt? Of course you would not! Of course John could not!

Regarding Dr. Albers' unwarranted statements to the newspaper concerning negotiations and meetings that he was not a part of: apparently one or more persons have given him inaccurate information -- how unfair! and I believe in some cases dishonest.

Regarding the only two Diocese/St. Francis Haitian Hearts meetings that were held: meeting No.1: you appointed the useless and never-called-upon-to-report committee chairmen and you announced that the Diocese did not intend to "end up with egg on its face." Meeting No.2: you issued the edict that John should blindly accept or reject .... Sounds like a pre-planned charade to me!

Sue Wozniak stated at the meeting that she did not read John's written attempt to negotiate (his counteroffer)--why was this? Had any others on the committee read it?

Over the past two years, John has made numerous attempts to resolve these and other serious concerns regarding OSF St. Francis Medical Center. Nothing has been resolved. As you know, John did not want to sue the sisters, so he and Tom thought a tribunal was the logical, sensible solution. When they discussed this with you early on, you did not appear to object to a tribunal. In fact, you know that you and Patricia helped John write the letter informing Sr. Judith Ann that he was considering it. Why would you then suddenly, three or four months later, get so upset about the tnbunal that you threatened John by saying that you would go to the media if he went ahead with it?

Who/what changed your mind? Did either of you ever tell the bishop that you had known about the tribunal for three or four months and had even helped write the letter? I am sure you know that when John talked to the bishop, the bishop was quite upset regarding the idea of a tnbunal and said that he had just heard about it during the previous 24 hours. Since this is true, why hadn't you or Patricia told him long before and, at the very least explained to John why you so adamantly switched views on the tribunal approach?

John was told by a very well known Peoria attorney that the diocese would never help him-we didn't, for a minute, believe it. Also, he was told by another attorney that the diocese would destroy his reputation. Now, what are we to believe?

Surely your conscience, as well as Dr. Albers', tells you that you have an obligation to do whatever it takes to right this temble injustice to someone who tries to live as he believes. I sincerely implore you to do so.

Mary Carroll

cc: Bishop Jenky

Sister Judith Ann

Patricia Gibson

Dr. William Albers

Dr. McShane

Sr. Canisia

Diana Couri

Joe Piccione

Monsignor Campbell

Monsignor Watson