The last Catholic hospital system in Alabama was just sold

Ascension St. Vincent's has served Alabama for longer than 125 years, but a 2020 alliance with the UAB has led to the end of Catholic healthcare in the state.

Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System, the only Catholic-run health system in the state of Alabama, will soon end its Catholic services, as it has been acquired by the University of Alabama Health System Authority in Birmingham (UAB). The move has drawn concern from Birmingham Bishop Steven Raica, who has lamented the sale.

According to WVTM13, the UAB will take control of all Ascension care sites within the state, including: hospitals in Birmingham, Blount County, Chilton County and two in St. Clair County; The One Nineteen campus; the Trussville Freestanding Emergency Department; as well as imaging centers and other Ascension affiliated clinics.

CBS42 recalls how St. Vincent’s and the UAB entered into an alliance in 2020 in order to increase access to “sustainable care” in Alabama. Now, the UAB board of trustees has voted to purchase Ascension St. Vincent’s outright, at the price tag of $450 million. The UAB neglected to explain what led to the UAB’s desire to be the sole operators of St. Vincent’s, but CEO Dawn Bulgarella has assured patients that the change will only expand on the hospital’s offerings:

“Patients will continue to have access to the health care services and providers they’ve come to trust, and ultimately gain access to a larger care network,” said UAB Health System CEO Dawn Bulgarella. “UAB and St. Vincent’s exist to improve lives, and that purpose will drive our actions in the coming months and beyond.”

In a news release, the UAB called the acquisition of the hospital as the “natural next step” in the organizations’ mission to provide the highest quality of health care. Ascension, for its part, will remain the largest Catholic hospital system in the US, with 30+ locations, but will no longer be operating in Alabama.

In a June letter posted on social media, Bishop Steven Raica, of the Diocese of Birmingham, expressed his deep sadness over what he described as a “devastating loss for the Catholic community,” and one that has served Alabamians for more than 125 years, no less. He lamented the loss for “those who wish to receive care in facilities that adhere to the Catholic faith and moral teaching.”

While Bishop Raica admitted that he has no canonical authority to block the sale, he pledged to convene with the UAB leadership in order to ensure that the hospital will continue to provide care for the impoverished while allowing the Church to continue to provide for the spiritual well-being of patients and caregivers.

Read the full letter from Bishop Raica here.