HOBOKEN AND BEYOND – After a public hearing and presentation by the potential buyers of Hoboken University Medical Center on Thursday, the state Health Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend that a Certificate of Need be issued to approve the sale of HUMC.
A Certificate of Need is essentially the last step before a sale can be finalized, and can be issued by the commissioner of the state Department of Health. The sale is expected to be completed in September, according to a release.
Executives from neighboring hospitals made presentations to the board in Trenton today, advocating for or against the sale.
Union and health care representatives were also in attendance, speaking out against the sale to HUMC Holdco, the owners who have common ownership with Bayonne Medical Center.
The nurses’ union presented over 3,000 signatures from residents in Hudson County calling for a review of the sale. Since the hospital is municipally owned, a review by the Attorney General’s office is not legally required.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer was the first to speak at the hearing, and reiterated her statement that the hospital will close if the sale doesn’t go through.
The news of the pending sale of Christ Hospital to a for-profit entity was discussed, as for-profit hospitals are seemingly becoming more common in Hudson County.
The city saved the hospital from closing down after the City Council voted in 2007 to guarantee $52 million in bonds. The new sale to private owners would extinguish the bond guarantee.
Now, the sale must be approved by the commissioner of the Department of Health. For full coverage, pick up a copy of The Hoboken Reporter this weekend. – Ray Smith