Jersey City Mayor James Solomon, Ward D Councilman Jake Ephros, and the Health Professional and Allied Employees (HPAE) are again condemning Saturday’s planned closure of the Heights University Hospital.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Ephros, who represents the Heights, will introduce an emergency resolution at tonight’s City Council meeting decrying Hudson Regional Health (HRH) for opting to close HUH after announcing a two-week extension last month, as HCV first reported.
“Healthcare is a human right. The closure of Christ Hospital directly threatens our community members in Ward D who will find themselves in a healthcare desert,” Ephros said in a statement.
“This means extended travel times during emergencies, which puts lives at risk. I am emphatic in my calls for the state to step in and do all that is necessary to keep the ED running, and to hold HRH accountable for their gross misconduct as operators of the hospital.”
The resolution represents the strongest unified action yet taken by Jersey City’s elected leadership and the hospital’s healthcare workers union against what they describe as a reckless, and unconscionable closure that endangers the lives of all city residents.
Specifically, it will call on New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) to file for an immediate court injunction to stop the closure, to have the hospital be placed into a receivership right away, and expressing the council’s support for keeping HUH open long-term.
“This closure is unacceptable, and an injunction to prevent this reckless action must be put in place. HRH is attempting to shutter a critical community hospital before the full public review process for a hospital closure can even be completed, and without any adequate plan for replacing emergency and critical care services in the Heights,” Solomon said in a statement.
“Just one year ago, HRH’s own CEO said the future was bright for patients in the Heights. Now they are pulling the rug out from under an entire community. Immediate injunctive relief to stop this from happening and allow us to come up with a better plan that best serves our residents.”
Back in September, the New Jersey Department of Health warned “HRH cannot simply close a hospital overnight,” with then-Ward E Councilman Solomon warning the following month that HRH would tear down the hospital in favor of luxury development.
The NJDOH also came out and said outright that HRH had flouted state rules and regulations in closing Heights hospital right after they announced the aforementioned 14-day extension.
Upon adoption, certified copies of the resolution will be transmitted to Sherrill, Davenport, the NJDOH, state Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22), and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19).
“While we understand financial constraints, stepping in to take over a hospital already in a dire situation indicated that HRH would be able to resolve the situation. Expanding the issue so shortly after acquisition is unacceptable,” noted Council President Denise Ridley.
The Jersey City Council will meet with a regular session at City Hall, 280 Grove St., tonight at 6 p.m., with the proceedings also streaming live on Microsoft Teams.