Officials field questions on hospital merger

Partners in the controversial merger of three Kentucky hospital systems fielded dozens of questions about reproductive and end-of-life care, health insurance for employees and other issues at a community forum Wednesday that drew hundreds of people. The forum, at Memorial Auditorium on S. Fourth St., was sponsored by the Louisville Metro Board of Health and was designed to ensure the community's voice was heard on the planned merger of University Hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health System of Lexington, which is owned by Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives.