Hoboken Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-5) is coming out in support of using eminent domain to acquire CarePoint’s three hospitals, an idea that Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise endorsed yesterday.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This is a brilliant idea by our county executive! The closing of three hospitals throughout our county would be detrimental in providing healthcare to over 700,000 residents which make Hudson County their home,” Romano, whose district also includes the Jersey City Heights, said this afternoon.
“I will fight tooth and nail with whomever gets in the way of vital medical services which is
provided by the Hoboken Medical Center and Christ Hospital!â€
DeGise first vocalized supporting the use of eminent domain to acquire the Bayonne Medical Center, Hoboken University Medical Center, and Christ Hospital in an op-ed in The Jersey Journal yesterday.
Back in March, CarePoint Health signed a letter of intent with to sell the BMC to a new company.
At the time, a spokesman for CarePoint said the city of Bayonne was working with the Hudson County Improvement Authority to execute eminent domain on the property.
Two weeks prior, Hudson County officials said that Alaris Health owner Avery Eisenreich was seeking $300 million for real estate connected to the hospitals, effectively bringing negotiations to a screeching halt.
Alaris owns 100 percent of the property in Bayonne; 75 percent of the property, along with 25 percent of the business in Hoboken; and a 25 percent stake in the Christ Hospital business and property.
The HCIA is scheduled to vote on three resolutions to authorize eminent domain proceedings on the land of the three hospitals this evening, according to a copy of their agenda, which would allow the freeholders to then vote on nearly identical measures on Thursday.
In a letter from his attorney to the HCIA, Eisenreich said that there is one operator willing to run at least one CarePoint facility without owning the land, though he did not discuss any specifics on the matter.
Back in October, CarePoint announced they had signed a non-binding letter of intent for Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health to purchase Christ Hospital and the HUMC.
The news came just 24 hours after local electeds came out against any plan that would lead to the closure of the BMC.
However, the deal allegedly has been held up by Eisenreich, who is embroiled in a lawsuit with CarePoint.
The Board of Chosen Freeholders will host a remote meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
More Jobs for DeGise, Sacco and Stack
Hoboken will get over taxed and screwed as usual since Hoboken, THEE Crown Jewel of Hudson County, a city HUDCO would still be a slum if not for Hoboken’s success and huge tax revenue.
County should hire the Hoboken Municipal workers getting fired.
I do not think the local governments can afford take over hospitals at this time. I think the local governments need to find a better hospital for merging, not Kessler, not Barnabas. Those two are third rate care givers. Hoboken’s hospital may have called a university hospital, but it’s graduates and the doctors who worked there were poorly trained. I think if the choice meant hopefully getting to Hackensack or dying, dying would be the same as UHMC.
Woowee, for someone who feels the need to adorn their handle with “Ph.D.â€, your grammar is atrocious.