Georgia hospital system denies report of banning Bibles: 'False and offensive'
A hospital system in Georgia is pushing back against claims that it banned Gideons International from distributing Bibles in its hospitals for the sake of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Citing multiple anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation, The Daily Wire reported last week that Phoebe Putney Health System — which is one of the state's largest healthcare providers with hospitals, family medicine clinics, rehab facilities and specialty physician offices in more than 40 Georgia counties — has been excluding Gideons and their Bibles for months.
One source told the outlet that they were told their work was "a violation of the DEI policy and they would no longer be allowed."
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Founded in 1899, Gideons describes itself as an association of Christian professionals who "distribute Scriptures in strategic locations so they are available to those who want them, as well as to those who may not know they need them," according to their website. The organization has distributed more than 2 billion Bibles over the years, and is famous for placing them in many hotel rooms.
Sources claimed to The Daily Wire that the move from Phoebe comes in the wake of a DEI push in the organization under the leadership of CEO Scott Steiner, who the outlet noted has been in charge since 2019 and is part of the Georgia Diversity Council, which boasts of being the "premier resource for diversity best practices and leadership development in the state of Georgia."
During a 2022 meeting, Steiner also expressed a commitment to "making meaningful change" by making diversity more evident in management, according to the local Albany Herald.
Ben Smith, who serves as Phoebe's director of public relations and communications, claimed in a statement to The Christian Post that "any accusation that Phoebe is anti-Christian is objectively false and offensive."
Smith referred CP to a video statement posted Monday afternoon to Phoebe's social media pages in which Steiner likewise refuted the story's allegations of anti-Christian discrimination and disparaged The Daily Wire as an outlet "known for sensational headlines designed to rile people up, stoke controversy and get web clicks."
Steiner characterized the story as "irresponsible, untrue and based solely on the uniformed opinion of a disgruntled anonymous source," and claimed that the system has "a large supply of Bibles donated by the Gideons that we give to any patient, visitor or employee who requests one."
The CEO went on to maintain that a local Gideons chapter requested "unfettered access" to hospital halls and patient rooms, which he noted is not permitted to any outside group.
"The local Gideons group has requested that access and has expressed frustration that we cannot grant it," he said. "That decision has nothing to do with any of our DEI initiatives. We must ensure the privacy of our patients and the safety of our patients, visitors and employees."
Steiner also noted that items such as books that "cannot be sanitized" are not allowed to be left in patient rooms to prevent infection.
Gideons International did not respond to CP's request for comment by time of publication. This article will be updated if a response is received.
"We all know Phoebe is not anti-Christian," Steiner continued, adding that they "begin every day with a brief devotional and prayer over our PA system throughout our hospital led by our chaplain."
"We begin every event with an invocation, and we host and promote a prayer line that patients, visitors and employees can call at any time," he said. "These are certainly not the actions of an organization that could reasonably be called 'anti-Christian.'"
Steiner, a self-described "middle-aged, Christian white man," went on to express the importance of diversity and hearing differing voices.
"Can you imagine what Phoebe would be if everyone here looked and thought like I do? What if every doctor and nurse, every executive, every transporter and front desk worker who greets our patients was just like me," he said. "There’s no way that kind of Phoebe could effectively serve our community. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths and it is absolutely necessary for us to meet the needs of our diverse region."
Steiner also stressed the importance of Phoebe remaining "a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. We are proud of our DEI initiatives, which create a more inclusive environment at Phoebe."
"We would never institute any policy that would exclude Christians or any other group. Our vision is to make every life we touch better, and that is what we will continue to strive to do every day at Phoebe," he added.
