In today's complex world of healthcare, patients, families and caregivers often face difficult decisions. Sometimes, there is an honest but inevitable conflict in values and opinions about how best to care for a patient.
St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center has an Ethics Committee that can help address the ethical and moral dilemmas that arise. The Committee does not mandate a particular decision or course of action. Rather, it serves as a resource for understanding the ethical and moral frameworks that can assist patients and caregivers in making the most appropriate decisions.
The Ethics Committee is a permanent committee of the Medical Staff. Its membership includes physicians, nurses and other hospital representatives, as well as ethicists and community members. The current members of the Ethics Committee are:
Mr. Aaron Derry
Dr. Philip Gardner, MD (Chair)
Ms. Judy Gustafson
Dr. Mark Hanson, MD
Ms. Anne Hoppie
Dr. Greg Kazemi, MD
Dr. Mary Quandt, MD
Ms. Shelly Roy
Dr. Stan Seagraves, MD
Ms. Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz
Dr. Stephen Tahat, MD
Dr. Burke Townsend, MD
Mr. Larry White
Ms. Marge Zaveta
The Committee can provide education about bioethics, serve as a resource to resolve ethical issues, and develop policies that help the medical and hospital staff meet their mission to provide excellent patient care. A request for consultation by the Ethics Committee can be initiated by a patient, a family member, or anyone on the hospital staff. Consultation request forms can be found at every nursing station, or one can contact any one of the following individuals:
- Administrative Staff Secretary at 406.329.5630
- Philip Gardner, MD, Ethics Committee Chair, at 406.541.3277 or pgardner@rmeec.com
- Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz, Director of Mission Leadership, at 406.329.2675 or msladich@saintpatrick.org