MAYOR ZIMMER INVITES PUBLIC TO HEARING TO CONSIDER SALE OF HOBOKEN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
State Health Planning Board Sets Meeting for July 21 to Consider Application to Sell Hospital to HUMC Holdco
The State Health Planning Board (the Board) will be holding a public hearing concerning the certificate of need application submitted to the Department of Health and Senior Services for the Transfer of Ownership of Hoboken University Medical Center to HUMC Holdco, under common ownership of Bayonne Medical Center.
The Board invites the public to comment on the application. All those wishing to make oral comments to the Board are invited to attend the public hearing on this application on Thursday, July 21, 2011. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person, although written comments may also be submitted at the same time. The Board will take comments from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The hearing will be at Our Lady of Grace Parish Hall, 422 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Directions to Our Lady of Grace can be found at: http://www.olghoboken.com/.
Copies of the application are available for review at the Hoboken Public Library, 500 Park Ave., Hoboken, NJ 07030, the New Jersey State Library, and at the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
“It’s critical that citizens of Hoboken have an opportunity to discuss an issue of great importance to our entire community -- the future of Hoboken University Medical Center,” said Mayor Zimmer. “This hearing will give the State Health Planning Board members a chance to hear directly from our residents that HUMC is essential to their families. Our hospital cannot survive as a publicly-owned stand-alone community facility. If the sale to HUMC Holdco doesn’t go through, our hospital will close. That is unacceptable.”
Approval for a hospital “change of ownership” in New Jersey is a comprehensive process requiring the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services to issue a Certificate of Need. The State Health Planning Board must hold a public hearing in the hospital’s service area, consider the CN application at an open public session, and then make a recommendation to the Commissioner.
“This transaction will save our hospital and lead to long-term benefits for our residents,” added Mayor Zimmer. “This new owner will maintain the hospital as the life-saving acute care unit that we deserve and release the City from its $52 million hospital bond guarantee financial obligation. This will allow us to finance other projects designed to improve our community’s overall quality of life. The new ownership will bring stability, access to capital, and the ability to compete in the hospital marketplace without dependency on state subsidies and cash advances. State subsidies are simply not guaranteed and are highly unlikely to continue at current levels given current economic conditions. Completion of this transaction is the best possible outcome for our community.”
Comments may also be submitted in writing after the hearing. Commenters are urged to make their comments concise. Written comments must be received by the State Health Planning Board no later than Friday, July 29, 2011 at the following address:
New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Maket & Warren Streets
P.O. Box 360
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0360
The Board intends to review the application at an upcoming meeting. Notice will be published as to the meeting date during which the application will be reviewed. For further information, you may call the Department at 609-292-7874.
Hoboken residents are encouraged to contact the Mayor’s office directly if they have questions. Updates regarding the hearing and the hospital’s sale will be available at http://www.hobokennj.org/.
Link: http://www.hobokennj.org/news/mayor-zimmer-invites-public-to-hearing/
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