Hudson Regional Hospital has hired a top executive, Dr. Vijayant Singh, after a stint working for one of their their top rivals: the Bayonne Medical Center.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Singh is a board-certified Internist, a fellow of ACHE and a certified Physician Executive with an MBA in Healthcare Management and a career-long member of the Hudson County healthcare community.
Beginning with his years in training at RWJ-JCMC and then as he rose through various leadership roles at CarePoint Health, including BMC’s chief hospital executive. He left that post on August 6th, 2021.
“I share Dr. Nizar Kifaieh’s and Yan Moshe’s vision for elevating HRH’s efforts and direction to improve and build a high-performing healthcare network in Hudson County,” Singh said in a statement.
“I have closely observed the hospital’s emergence over the past five years as a leader in quality and innovation in Hudson County and I am excited to be part of this robust organization that continues to undergo clinical integration and transformation while not losing track of the social determinants of health and behavioral health.”
This marks a significant turn for Singh from two years ago when the Bayonne City Council was debating using eminent domain on the BMC property, where he gave public remarks that their hospital “has been held hostage” since the parcel of land it sits on has been used as “a point of leverage.”
CarePoint spokesman Phil Swibinski said that Singh is one of several members of their team that have moved on since they decided to pursue switching to a for profit entity to a nonprofit.
HRH and BMC Hospital have been embroiled in a nearly three-year long battle over who will run and operate the Bayonne Medical Center, and while CarePoint and Alaris Health reached a settlement in January, HRH quickly made it clear that their fight is far from over.
HRH owns the land that the BMC sits on and while they have said they terminated CarePoint’s lease there, it hasn’t had any impact on operations as of yet.
Additionally, Singh and HRH’s President/CEO Nizar Kifaieh have been professional associates for more than a decade, including working with and under the leadership of Dr. Dr. Kifaieh at CarePoint for five years.
“I’m glad for the opportunity to work with Dr. Singh again and name him Hudson Regional’s Chief Clinical Officer. He will fulfill the critical role of CCO with a singular focus in a key position that will allow Mr. Moshe and I to continue building our healthcare network to its full potential,” noted Kifaieh.
HRH Chair Yan Moshe also sung the praises of Singh, who will also serve as their vice president of network development.
“Dr. Singh is an experienced healthcare executive in Hudson County, carrying the respect of his peers and colleagues,” he stated.
“Adding a person of great esteem and talent makes us a better hospital for the community and advances our mission. We will continue to add talented members to our team to assist Dr. Kifaieh in creating a new model for healthcare.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from CarePoint Health spokesman Phil Swibinski.
Congratulations to Dr. Singh and Hudson Regional Hospital. I am glad to see the fight is not over.