Offering Hope and Healing to Those Suffering from Psychiatric Conditions and Addictions
The following is an overview of the Ethical and Religious Directives of Catholic Health Care Services (the “ERD”) that govern Prairie St. John's and elements of related policies. Employment at Prairie involves a commitment to respect and uphold its mission, policies and the ERD directives.
General Principles – Dignity, Respect, Compassion
- All people are created in the image of God and we are therefore called to respect the dignity and inherent value of each person from conception until death.
- To respect a patient’s dignity and worth is to recognize God manifest in our world.
- Providing healthcare is ultimately a spiritual mission, available to both men and women, clergy and laity, Catholics and non-Catholic.
- “We are called to listen carefully to another’s pain, or fear, or anxieties. Listening is an integral part of healing.
Part 1—The Social Responsibility of Catholic Health Care Services
- Employees are to be treated respectfully and justly, without discrimination.
- Fiscal resources are to be utilized responsibly, including “care for the poor,the uninsured and the underinsured.”
- Advocate for children, the unborn, single parents and the elderly; those with incurable diseases and chemical dependencies, and racial minorities, immigrants and refugees.
- “Employees will be educated to recognize the symptoms of abuse and violence, and are obliged to report cases of abuse to the proper authorities in accordance with local statues.”
Part 2—Pastoral and Spiritual Responsibility of Catholic Health Care
- “The care offered embraces the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of the human person.”
- People’s diverse faith traditions are to be respected and an individual’s spiritual journey nurtured.
Part 3—The Professional-Patient Relationship
- This relationship requires mutual respect, trust, honesty and appropriate confidentiality.
- Patient’s rights are to be safeguarded, and patients to be made aware of them.
- Accurate and complete information is to be provided in order to facilitate informed decisions.
- An Ethics Committee exists to “advise on particular ethical situations and offer educational opportunities.”
Part 4—Issues in Care for the Beginning of Life
- Human life is sacred from conception to death.
- Therefore abortion is not provided or encouraged.
- Counseling and spiritual care are to be available for those who have experienced trauma from having had an abortion.
- While contraception is not to be promoted, natural family planning and abstinence education will be available when appropriate.
Part 5—Issues in Care for the Dying
- Care is to be provided, even when it cannot cure, as long as it brings comfort or reduces suffering.
- “Hydration and nutrition are not morally obligatory either when they bring no comfort to a person who is imminently dying or when they cannot be assimilated by a person’s body.”
- Advanced medical directives that comply with state law are to be honored.
- Suicide is not to be supported as an option, even to relieve pain and suffering.
- Euthanasia is neither to be performed nor encouraged.
Part 6—Business Relationships and Partnerships with other Health Care Services
- Partnerships and business strategies are to be congruent with the above values and principles.