The comeback of the Broadway retail district has begun, according to city, developer, and healthcare officials who gathered on Sept. 24 at the site of a new ambulatory care center slated for 23rd and 24th streets.
Dozens of representatives of the St. Barnabas Health Care System, the administration of Mayor James Davis, and developer Rendina Health Care Real Estate assembled at the former site of The Avenue retail store at 519 Broadway for the presentation, “Building a Healthier Bayonne,” which included the unveiling of the most recent version of what the three-story, 80,000-square-foot facility will look like when completed.
But what some see as a comeback, others see as competition. The Barnabas facility is expected to compete, in some areas, with Bayonne Medical Center, only five blocks away.
One of those ways may be a 24/7 satellite Emergency Department affiliated with the Jersey City Medical Center that St. Barnabas says will be part of the new facility.
Bayonne Medical Center invested about $1 million in an upgrade of its Emergency Department last year.
St. Barnabas does not yet have approval for the satellite Emergency Department, a spokesman confirmed on Sept. 28.
“That’s one of the goals of the building, to have that,” said Mark Rabson, corporate director of public affairs for the Jersey City Medical Center. “We’re beginning the process of applying for the license with the state department of health.”
Insurance availability is a major concern for most patients.
A source said that St. Barnabas feels there should be an in-network Emergency Department in the city, and that the company feels this satellite facility is the answer.
Jersey City Medical Center’s Joseph Scott noted that Barnabas Health of Bayonne will accept nearly 40 insurance carriers. Bayonne Medical Center has a similar roster of accepted insurances, said spokesman Jarrod Bernstein.
“Ninety percent of the encounters at BMC are in-network,” Bernstein said. “And, according to state law, 100 percent of Emergency Department visits are treated as in-network.”
“We’re proud of Bayonne Medical Center’s legacy of serving the community for the last 120 years,” Bernstein added. “We’re proud of our patient safety record at Bayonne. It’s come a long way since CarePoint has taken over. We look forward to serving Bayonne another 120 years.”
“We want to be a part of Bayonne.” – Joseph Scott
____________
The Barnabas prescription
Barnabas Health of Bayonne will be a multi-specialty outpatient facility and will include an imaging center, pediatric specialty center, and an outpatient physical therapy site.
Scott said the new facility is part of St. Barnabas’s plan to extend its footprint. It is already in the process of merging with the Robert Wood Johnson system to create the largest healthcare provider in the state.
“We want to be a part of Bayonne,” Scott said.
The plan for the block, which began with the previous administration of Mayor Mark Smith, who was defeated in the 2014 mayoral runoff by Davis, includes the construction of a multi-deck parking garage behind Broadway on Del Monte Drive. The city’s farmers market was moved to 24th Street and Church Lane this year in preparation for the construction. The Bayonne mini-golf facility will be removed from Del Monte.
Construction is slated to start soon, with completion expected in December of next year.
Side effects
The new Barnabas facility, which will be in the second ward, is expected to bring 100 to 120 new, permanent jobs to the city. “This will mean more jobs in Bayonne,” said Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace. “The residents will be working.”
Additional benefits will be the ancillary stores and services that are expected to come onboard with the influx of new workers and patients, according to Bayonne and Barnabas officials.
One man who never left was Mel Stock, owner of the Barney Stock Hosiery Shops at the corner of 23rd street and Broadway. Stock fought to have his building, which also houses several second-floor businesses, to be excluded from the area-in-need-of-development plan. Barney Stock has been at the current site for decades.
Stock won out, and the development is proceeding minus his property.
“We’re remaining on the block, so it’s a big thing,” Stock said.
Said Mayor Davis of the new facility, “This is a continuation of us trying to revitalize and rebuild Broadway. These employees will shop, eat, and work on Broadway.”
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.