In a letter to the editor, 34 Jersey City elected leaders, advocates, and residents share a plan to make sure Heights University Hospital remains open.
Dear Editor,
Jersey City is days away from losing 1 of its 2 emergency rooms. Unless significant interventions are made by the state and county, New Jersey’s second largest city will face significant healthcare challenges in the loss of an acute care facility in Christ Hospital.
That is why we signers of this Peoples’ Plan for Christ Hospital are outlining 4 steps to save Christ Hospital.
- Have the State Department of Health require Hudson Regional Health to keep the Emergency Room and affiliated services open at the Christ Hospital campus.
Unless the State intervenes, Christ Hospital’s emergency room will close this Saturday.
This is unacceptable, considering the only other emergency room at Jersey City Medical Center is already overrun on a good day. Gov Sherrill and the Attorney General have the power to keep Hudson Regional Health from shutting its doors at Christ Hospital.
2. Appoint a receiver to operate the emergency services and hold the hospital license.
A new receiver is necessary to both keep the emergency room working and to keep the hospital from losing its license.
The receiver can be a non-profit corporation, a group of doctors wanting to continue services at Christ, or a healthcare expert with a track record of operating an emergency department.
3. Formation of a Hudson County Hospital Authority (pursuant to N.J.S.A. 30:9-23.15) to acquire the land and hospital facility
Similar to systems like Bergen Regional, Hudson County must step in to acquire Christ Hospital and the land beneath it. Under N.J.S.A. 30:9-23.15 municipalities and counties can create municipal hospital authorities to acquire, operate, and maintain hospitals.
For too long, for-profit owners have pitted healthcare needs against profit incentives on highly speculative land such as that beneath Christ Hospital. We need bold intervention from the County to step in and protect Jersey City residents, and we need it now.
4. Transform the Medical District to meet the healthcare needs of the community.
We need a new vision for the now medically-zoned campus at Christ Hospital.
Emergency services, outpatient services such as dialysis, same day surgery, acute beds, rehabilitation, psychiatric, addiction, a continuing care community or even a maternal and children’s hospital are all within the realm of possibility for Christ Hospital to specialize towards, as supported in a 2011 report by Navigant Consulting commissioned by the State to rationalize the delivery of healthcare in the Jersey City environment.
Christ Hospital needs the State and the County to intervene and take action if we’re to stave off complete closure by the end of the week.
This Peoples’ Plan for Christ sets out a vision of intervention and innovation to meet the healthcare needs of Hudson County, and in particular, Jersey City residents.
Join us Thursday, March 12th at 10 a.m. at Christ Hospital for a demonstration with the union, elected officials, and community.
Signed,
Katie Brennan, New Jersey Assemblywoman, District 32
David Guirgis, Candidate for Hudson County Commissioner District 4
Tom Zuppa, Jersey City Councilmember (Ward C)
Jake Ephros, Jersey City Councilmember (Ward D)
Joel Brooks, Jersey City Councilmember (Ward B)
Eleana Little, Jersey City Councilmember (Ward E)
Caleb Hansen, NNJ DSA Ecosocialist Working Group Co-Chair
Campbell Charshee, NNJ DSA Health Justice Working Group Co-Chair
Bingjiefu He, Hudson County DSA Co-Chair / Chief of Staff for Councilmember Ephros
Isaac Jimenez, NNJ DSA, URA-AFT Local 1766
Liam Paiva-Acosta, NNJ DSA Health Justice Working Group Co-Chair
Rishi Gummakonda, NNJ DSA
Erika Lewy, Jersey City Heights resident
Gabe Wanissian, NNJ DSA
Allie Howard, NNJ DSA, UPS Teamster Local 177
Emma Gagliardi, Jersey City Heights resident, Teamster
Rick Perrine, Jersey City Heights resident
Derek Smith, Jersey City Heights resident
Michael Hugo Halasnik, Progressive Victory North NJ Lead, Jersey City Heights resident
Carissa Cunningham, NNJ DSA
Danielle D’Adamo, Jersey City Environmental Commissioner, Jersey City Heights resident (lifelong)
Elizabeth Cooper, NNJ DSA,, Jersey City Heights Resident
Eric Cortes-Kopp, Jersey City Heights resident, NNJ DSA Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, UE Staff Union
Jesse Livezey, Jersey City Heights resident
Philippia Athanasiou-Vaartstra, JC Heights Parents, Jersey City Heights resident
Jeff Justice Williams, Committee Council Ward D; Central Heights Neighborhood Association; Jersey City Heights resident
Renee Steinhagen, NJ Appleseed
Crisley Thome Araújo, Jersey City resident
Yusra Razouki, Hudson County DSA Co-Chair, Jersey City Heights Resident
Meera Jaffrey, JC Heights resident
JCRPA, HCSC, CFNNJ
Mo Kinberg, Jersey City Heights resident, Knitty Gritty JC
Jamie Wilson Murray, Jersey City Heights resident, Knitty Gritty JC
Susan Goodman Jackson, Jersey City Heights resident
Nick Lawrence, Jersey City Heights resident, Washington Park Association of Hudson County
As a senior citizen of Union City and a voter concerned with the adequacy of health services in my area, I would like to applaud the efforts of the signers of the the People’s Plan for Christ Hospital. Many folks do not realize that Christ Hospital serves other neighborhoods and cities near to Jersey City. As someone who has used emergency care at Christ Hospital 3 times this last year, I am so grateful for the care they have gave me. I am very glad that we may have a chance to talk with the NJ DOH about the recent closure at a Public Hearing to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday, April 15th at the hospital; (176 Palisade Ave, in the Jersey City). This is a chance for all of us, even Union City people, to speak our minds.