Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31) is “shocked and angry” over the state Commission of Investigation’s findings that CarePoint Health’s owners received $157 million in management fees from their Hudson County hospitals, calling for more oversight.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I have read and re-read the article concerning the owners of CarePoint setting up a shell
company to syphon an estimated $157 million from their hospitals in Hudson County Like
anyone else who read that story, I am shocked and angry. For that reason, I prefer to stay
focused on the facts rather than react emotionally to this explosive story,” he began in a statement.
The assemblyman stressed that despite the unflattering findings, he still has a lot of respect for the doctors, nurses, volunteers and other staff at the CarePoint facilities, also commending them for bailing out the Bayonne hospital out of bankruptcy.
Also noting that the organization has been a good community partner, he still called on the New Jersey Department of Health needs to provide better oversight guidelines for healthcare providers.
“After reading the SCI report, it is clear that although these actions are legal, they are also an egregious breach of public trust. This should not be allowed to occur. The SCI recommendations are a good start, but I am not sure they go far enough,” he exclaimed.
“The DOH needs to provide better oversight and the legislature needs to hold all operators in healthcare to a higher standard.â€
While she didn’t talk about CarePoint specifically, New Jersey Hospital Association and CEO Cathy Bennett said that for-profit healthcare is necessary to brings hospitals to certain communities.
“As the SCI report notes, many communities in New Jersey would be without a hospital presence had a for-profit healthcare company not invested in local healthcare,” she said in a statement.
“We appreciate that commitment and maintain that hospitals should not be measured by their profit/for-profit status but by the quality care, investment in healthy communities, employment opportunities and other benefits they bring to their communities.â€
Cut me a break . . . “Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31) is “shocked and angry†over the state Commission of Investigation’s findings that CarePoint Health’s owners received $157 million in management fees from their Hudson County hospitals, calling for more oversight.”
That is just another dumb waste of tax payer dollars. When Bayonne Medical Center, the largest employer of Bayonne and after turning “for profit” became the single largest real estate tax contributor to the City of Bayonne saved 800 jobs coming out of bankruptcy . . . ASSEMBLYMAN CHIARAVALLOT, WHERE WERE YOU IN 2007/2008 WHEN BAYONNE MEDICAL CENTER WAS MINUTES FROM BEING SHUT DOWN BY THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT AND DISPLACING THOSE +/- 800 JOBS, THOSE JOBS MAINLY WERE OCCUPIED BY BAYONNE RESIDENTS AND THE CITY OF BAYONNE HAVING A BIG EMPTY WHITE ELEPHANT BUILDING IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY. EXPLAIN THAT ONE TO YOUR NEIGHBORS. THE OWNERS OF CAREPOINT PUT THEIR MONEY, TIME, EFFORT AND ENERGY INTO REHABILITATING THAT HOSPITAL.
Then, the owners of CarePoint did the same thing in Jersey City with Christ Hospital and then Hoboken University Medical Center, explain to the employees whose jobs were saved and to the residents of Jersey City and Hoboken that a needed health care asset was saved by the owners of CarePoint your ludicrous statement. WHY DIDN’T YOU PUT UP YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY TO SAVE THOSE HOSPITALS FROM EXTINCTION?
Finally, who believes the State with that report. It was created for the “shock” factor and who knows how correct the numbers are. But, the report showed one thing… there was/is no wrongdoing. SO, ASSEMBLYMAN, why don’t you ask the CEO’s of RWJ Barnabas Health, Valley Hospital, Hackensack Meridian Health what they make per year and they have no skin in the game. They get their salaries whether the hospital make or lose money.
You are so uneducated and uninfomed as to these matters in spite of all of your college degrees … The State of New Jersey has a budget crisis. Why don’t you refuse your annual salary and the perks you get In fact, the State of New Jersey website says you are the Vice President for Planning and Development/Assistant to the President, Hudson County Community College . . . So you collect a salary from the College plus your Assembly money, which according to WikiPedia “Members of the NJ General Assembly receive an annual base salary of $49,000 with the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker earning slightly more.[1][2] Members receive $110,000 for staff salaries. In addition, they receive 12,500 postage stamps, stationery and a telephone card. They receive New Jersey State health insurance and other benefits. THE TOTAL COST TO THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY FOR EACH MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS APPROXIMATELY $200,000 PER YEAR.”
YOU GET THE MONEY AND PERKS INCLUDING HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BEING A MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY… NOW THAT IS THE BOONDOGGLE THAT NEEDS INVESTIGATION. WHY DON’T YOU START TO FIX THE STATE BUDGET CRISIS BY PASSING A BILL THAT TURNS OFF ALL OF THE SALARIES AND PERKS RECEIVED BY THE NEW JERSEY SENATE AND ASSEMBLY MEMBERS UNTIL YOU BALANCE THE BILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT IN THE STATE’S BUDGET.
SHAME ON YOU MR. CHIARAVALLOT . . . SHAME ON YOU.