To the Editor:
The citizens of Bayonne presently have a difficult decision before them. That is whether to continue to be pushed around and ignored by the new owners of the Bayonne Medical Center, or to take a stand against an organization, which only seems interested in their bottom line.
Bayonne presently has about 60,000 residents. For a town this size to not have a community hospital solely dedicated to the service and well being of its citizens is totally unacceptable.
Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone recently introduced a bill before the Assembly requiring for-profit hospitals to be more transparent about where their money comes from and how it is spent.
I applaud Assemblyman Chiappone for his action. But it is up to every person who lives in Bayonne to support Tony by calling their councilperson, the Mayor and our state representative.
We must make sure that Bayonne Medical Center understands how vital this facility is to our community. Bayonne Hospital must be made to realize that if they feel their profit margin is not high enough, their problem is with the insurance companies and not with their employees or the citizens of Bayonne. If Bayonne Medical Center cannot negotiate a contract with one of the largest insurers in the state (i.e. Blue Cross, Blue Shield), maybe they are in the wrong line of business.
For Bayonne Medical Center to continue to put their profits before the needs of our community is totally unacceptable.
Again, I urge everyone to support Assemblyman Chiappone in this fight. He is on our side.
RICHARD SCHMIDT