The ACLU has filed a complaint to help low income and uninsured people in Northern Kentucky receive certain reproductive services.
Those services, according to the complaint, were withdrawn after the merger of St. Luke hospitals with St. Elizabeth hospitals.
In Northern Kentucky, low income or uninsured people can receive family planning services like birth control at a clinic thanks to Title 10, a federal government grant.
In the last year, however, other reproductive services in Northern Kentucky have been harder to access.
"Reproductive services such as tubal ligations, vasectomies, placement of IUD intra-uterine devices for birth control and family planning and these are things the Health Department didn't provide, but, we were a referral service," said Dr. Steven Katkowsky, director of the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department.
The health department's biggest provider was St. Luke Hospital, but when St. Luke merged with St. Elizabeth last year, the procedures stopped since St. Elizabeth is a Catholic hospital.
As a result, the ACLU has filed a complaint with the state on behalf of several Northern Kentucky residents.
"The ACLU is asking the Cabinet of Health and Family Services to conduct a hearing into the unlawful termination of services at the hospital and for St. Luke Hospitals to fully restore access to reproductive health services in Northern Kentucky," said Derek Selznick, an ACLU Attorney based in Louisville, Ky.
In the meantime, the health department is trying to work with hospitals outside of Northern Kentucky to allow the procedures to take place.
"I don't see a backed-up waiting list or people saying I can't get these services. It’s where are the services available and how do I access them?," said Dr. Katkowsky.
The health department says it's close to working out deals with Christ Hospital across the river in Mt. Auburn and Georgetown Hospital in Georgetown, Ky.
The ACLU complaint was filed against the Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky on behalf of several Northern Kentucky residents.
The Community Foundation used to be affiliated with St. Luke Hospital but separated from St. Luke just prior to the merger.
