CarePoint Health and Alaris Health have reached a mutual settlement over a Bayonne Medical Center lawsuit filed by the former back in January 2020 that alleged the latter wanted to convert the BMC into a nursing home.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Settling this matter with Alaris Health has been a top priority since I arrived at CarePoint Health and I am proud that we can now put this situation behind us and move forward with our goal of bringing the highest quality health care services to Hudson County, especially to vulnerable populations that need it the most,” CarePoint President/CEO Dr. Achintya Moulick said in a statement.
“Clearing away these types of distractions supports our mission of making CarePoint Health a national model for providing patient-centric healthcare in a community driven, non-profit setting. With the support of our local, county and state officials, there is no limit to the advances in health care delivery that we can bring to Hudson County.”
According to the court filing, Alaris Health owner Avery Eisenreich purchased the real estate associated with the HUMC and BMC back on November 5th, 2019, an alleged violation of their lease agreement, and in turn CarePoint is asking the court to impose “an equitable lien.”
In a counterclaim, Eisenreich reiterated an assertion first made by a March 2019 New Jersey Commission of Investigation report: that the CarePoint owners embezzled millions from the company, even as they continued to fall deeper into debt.
However, that’s all in the rearview now, as Eisenreich echoed the sentiment made by Moulick.
“Ensuring quality healthcare in Hudson County has always been a top priority of ours. Resolution of this dispute allows the focus of everyone to be solely on providing the residents of Hudson County with the healthcare they deserve,” he stated.
The terms of the settlement cannot be divulged due to confidentiality agreements between the parties, court documents show.
Last week, Hudson County officials, some of whom had previously said that Eisenreich was holding up the CarePoint hospital sales by asking for $300 million, praised CarePoint at a State Health Planning Board hearing regarding their conversion to a nonprofit.
CarePoint originally announced this plan, where Moulick would remain in charge, back in October 2021.