Dear Editor:
Since 1872, Christ Hospital has been providing the residents of Jersey City with convenient access to quality healthcare services. It is a community asset we cannot afford to lose. A new model is needed to make the hospital sustainable over the long term-but this does not mean it should be sold without the proper due diligence. We need a proper vetting process in place to ensure Jersey City doesn’t squander this institution and the important healthcare services it provides.
To date, Jersey City officials and the Jersey City community have not had a fair say in the process and we deserve a seat at the table in any discussion about the future of Christ Hospital. The deal that Christ Hospital currently hopes to close with Prime Healthcare was negotiated by the CEO of Christ Hospital, who following the sale will more than likely be offered a highly paid position with Prime. I’m not sure he is thinking about what is in the best interest of our city.
Since its inception, Christ Hospital has been operated as a nonprofit entity. What this means is they don’t pay taxes-they benefit from the services of our local, county, state and federal government without contributing to its cost because it has been a not-for-profit servicing the community. This isn’t a bad thing. Our community has a vested interest in ensuring quality healthcare services are available to our residents. Christ Hospital played an important role in that process. We can’t let it be sold without a proper process in place to ensure the new owners are going to operate it in a manner that protects our public interest the same; Jersey City deserves this after the millions of dollars that the residents of Jersey City have contributed to Christ Hospital as a not-for-profit.
The Community Health Care Assets Protection Act (CHAPA) is in place for just these types of sales. CHAPA puts the New Jersey attorney general and commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services in charge to review and approve any sale of a nonprofit community hospital. This ensures that the appropriate steps are taken to safeguard the value of the charitable assets of the hospital, guarantee any proceeds from the acquisition are dedicated to charitable healthcare purposes and maintain availability of healthcare services in the community. CHAPA helps provide transparency and oversight to the process and protects residence who rely on healthcare services provided by local nonprofit hospitals. In addition, CHAPA provides for a public process to make sure that the public has an opportunity to participate. At best, the Christ Hospital Board has barely attempted to follow the CHAPA process.
Christ Hospital is too important to Jersey City to rush a sale without properly vetting the deal. We deserve a fair bidding process that will allow the public to see all offers available to the community and ensure Christ Hospital is maintained as an acute care hospital committed to serving our residence for the long term.
Steven Fulop