To the Editor:
As the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the facility, we know first-hand how hard its employees work to deliver exceptional care to Bayonne’s residents and visitors at Bayonne’s only full-service hospital. This is reflected in the many awards Bayonne Medical Center receives every year in quality and patient safety, including being honored by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States, and The Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog.
The delivery of high-quality, comprehensive health care is the top priority of the doctors, nurses, technicians and other staff at Bayonne Medical Center–CarePoint Health. The hospital also continues to contribute to the Bayonne Community in a number of ways, including investments in education and civic life.
In the last few years we have invested millions of dollars in the people and equipment at BMC, including a brand new Emergency Department in 2014 and a new MRI machine a few short months ago. The new Emergency Department helps us to better serve the 30,000-plus community members who visit it every year. It has updated equipment and new features to streamline the patient experience. The new MRI machine allows our physicians and staff to make the best diagnoses based on the clearest picture of a patient’s condition. In every department, and on every floor, we are investing in the hospital and the people it serves.
Just as we take pride in the care we provide to the people of Bayonne, we are also extremely proud of supporting the city by investing in the community. Since 2007, when the hospital was rescued by CarePoint Health from bankruptcy and potential closure, we have made it a priority to find ways to assist the City of Bayonne that go beyond the walls of the hospital.
This investment takes the form of donating tens of thousands of dollars to the expanding or growing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Academy at Bayonne High School. This program begins the career preparation for the next generation of health and science professionals in our city.
It also takes the form of having established a Neighborhood Health Center at the hospital, so that those without the resources for important medical services can still receive them regardless of their ability to pay.
We have a presence at health fairs, clinics, blood drives and even a weekly farmers market in the city, where those buying fresh produce to eat well can also have their blood pressure or cholesterol checked. We are proud to sponsor the Bayonne Hometown Fair, the Bayonne Renaissance Fair, and the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation.
In just the last few months, Bayonne Medical Center and CarePoint have helped residents of a devastating fire in our city get back on their feet, as well as supported the Bayonne Ecuadorian Community to organize a relief shipment of medicines and medical supplies to send back home following an earthquake there.
We employ more than 1,000 people in Bayonne, making us the city’s largest private employer.
Our partners at McCabe Ambulance Service were named the “Business of the Year” by the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce this year.
In financial terms, the medical center provides a sizeable economic impact to Bayonne as well, paying nearly $600,000 in property taxes and more than $5,000,000 in payroll taxes annually.
A recent study also determined that Bayonne Medical Center and its sister hospitals, Christ Hospital in Jersey City and Hoboken University Medical Center, provide a stimulus of $750 million a year to Hudson County and the area.
Bayonne Medical Center and CarePoint Health are dedicated to Bayonne. We are here for the long haul, and will continue to contribute not only high-level, compassionate healthcare, but support for the city as a whole.
DR. VIJAY SINGH
Chief Medical Officer
Bayonne Medical Center-CarePoint Health
CATHERINE SHULL-FERNALD
MSN, RNC-BC, NEA-BC
Chief Operating Officer
Bayonne Medical Center-CarePoint Health