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PETITION TO SAVE ST. MARY HOSPITAL:
Bon Secours New Jersey Health System has applied for a certificate of need to close St. Mary Hospital located in Hoboken New Jersey. This decision was made after the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, (UMDNJ), broke off negotiations to acquire St. Mary Hospital and incorporate it into their health system.
Although talks with UMDNJ have since been revived, the possible closure of St. Mary remains a real possibility.
The closure of St. Mary Hospital would have tremendously negative effects on both Hoboken and the greater Hudson County community. As the oldest in the state, this community hospital has been a fixture in the lives of Hudson County residents for 143 years.
Its mission has always been to provide health care services to all members of the community regardless of their ability to pay. As such it has functioned as a safety net within the community and often the only source of quality health care for the underinsured and uninsured —those who have no where else to turn.
In addition to providing quality care in OB/GYN, Emergency care, pediatrics, surgery and other core areas, St. Mary Hospital also sponsors a number of unique services that are available nowhere else within Hudson County and in short supply throughout the state. These include both pediatric and geriatric psychiatric units, The Center for Family Health, FAITH services, the Wound Care Center, and accredited training programs in Family Practice and Podiatry. We believe these services cannot simply be duplicated at other Hudson County health care facilities.
Hoboken’s unique geographic makeup and location at the doorstep of New York City make it a strategically important location for the kind of emergency medical services only a hospital can provide. This was amply demonstrated following the 9/11 terrorist attacks when St. Mary Hospital triaged more than 8000 patients. We reject the concept that emergency services provided by St. Mary Hospital can be successfully transported to other Hudson County hospitals, especially in the time of a crisis.
The medical staff leadership does not simply want to keep St. Mary Hospital alive. We want to achieve the original vision to build a top-tier University Medical Center that serves not only Hoboken and Hudson County but also the entire region. We can then capture New Jersey health care business that is crossing the river to New York. That revenue will help us serve the uninsured and under-insured. And that’s good for our entire state.
Despite its current difficulties, UMDNJ remains one of the nation’s premier health science universities with an outstanding reputation for research and excellence in teaching. One reason UMDNJ was excited about operating St. Mary was the opportunity to expand teaching experiences for their residents with the diverse population served by St. Mary. That opportunity still exists as long as St. Mary remains open.
We further believe that if given the opportunity we can satisfactorily address the business needs required to make this union work.
Hoboken is a thriving community that serves as an example of successful urban gentrification. The negative economic impact the closure of the St. Mary Hospital would have upon the City of Hoboken would be extensive and far-reaching. If St. Mary Hospital were to close, there would never be another hospital to replace it—for the simple reason that the costs would be prohibitive and there is no other location in Hoboken where you can build a hospital.
In order to remain a truly great city, Hoboken needs to maintain a state-of-the-art community hospital so that its residents will have the care they need without having to travel outside of their own community.
We therefore urge the Board of Trustees of University of Medicine and Dentistry, Bon Secours Health System, Governor Jon Corzine, and all New Jersey elected officials to support the acquisition of St. Mary Hospital into the UMDNJ System. This is the only feasible pathway that leads to the survival of St. Mary Hospital. This acquisition would clear the way for capital improvements the hospital sorely needs as well as providing operating capital. It would also provide St. Mary Hospital with a dedicated owner with the managerial expertise and experience needed to maintain the hospital in financially stable condition and therefore ensure its survival and continued service to both Hoboken and the greater Hudson County community. |
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The United Members of St. Mary Hospital Medical Staff
We stand united with all St. Mary Hospital employees, elected members of the Hoboken City and New Jersey State Governments, local and state officials, religous leaders, and all other concerned citizens who are working hard to find creative solutions not only to save St. Mary Hospital, but to allow it to excell. |
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