A Jersey City hospital will close its doors after 152 years of service after failing to get millions in support from the government, its parent company announced Friday.<\/p>\n
Heights University Hospital will operate only as a standalone emergency department and support services starting on Saturday, said Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, president and chief executive officer of Hudson Regional Health. <\/p>\n
The news, announced at a press conference, was not entirely a surprise. Hudson Regional, which owns the hospital, announced in October that it would begin to lay off staff and wind down services. As of Friday, just five patients remained in the hospital, said Kifaieh. <\/p>\n
Hudson Regional has been strapped for cash<\/a>. <\/p>\n Just seven months after Hudson Regional took over<\/a> Heights University Hospital from CarePoint Health System, which had its own share of problems<\/a>, the company made a public appeal for financial support. <\/p>\n On Friday, Kifaieh said that critical funding failed to materialize and the hospital will close. <\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, we couldn\u2019t get commitment from the governor\u2019s office regarding funding for such an endeavor and we are where we are here today,\u201d said Kifaieh. <\/p>\n Gov. Phil Murphy\u2019s office directed questions to the state health department. The health department did not immediately respond to a request to comment.<\/p>\n Kifaieh said Hudson Regional has been trying hard to keep the hospital open and has pumped $300 million into operations, with a major portion dedicated to Heights University Hospital. Despite that investment, the hospital is losing $1.5 million per week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that we put a lot of effort during this past year to make something out of what we have here, the unfortunate situation that we\u2019re in financially. But again, we got to a point where we just could not,\u201d said Kifaieh.<\/p>\n The hospital will continue to operate a standalone emergency department and provide other health care services out of its auxiliary building. The areas where there are no services will be shut down. <\/p>\n Employees at Heights Hospital also learned Thursday night about a delay in processing payroll and were notified that paychecks scheduled for Friday will be delayed. <\/p>\n In an email, employees were told the \u201cdelay is due to insufficient financial support from the State of New Jersey, along with severely constrained cash flow.\u201d<\/p>\n The employees\u2019 union, a local of Health Professionals and Allied Employees<\/a>, said Hudson Regional has surpassed CarePoint as the worst employer in Hudson County.<\/p>\n \u201cHudson Regional has made this decision illegally with no regard for Department of Health regulations or the WARN Act. What will happen to the patients in this community? Their employees have been left without a paycheck for two weeks of work and without future employment,\u201d union president Debbie White said in a statement Friday. <\/p>\n The company said all employees will be paid in full as soon as feasible. Heights Hospital has about 699 employees, said Kifaieh. <\/p>\n The larger Hudson Regional health network has already absorbed 100 full time employees affected by the hospital\u2019s downsizing and plans to absorb about 100 more, he added. <\/p>\n Ward E Councilman James Solomon called on Murphy and the state health department to file an emergency injunction to prevent the hospital from closing. <\/p>\n \u201cEnough of playing with people\u2019s lives and playing with people\u2019s health care,\u201d Solomon said in an Instagram reel<\/a> posted Nov. 13.<\/p>\n \u201cGov. Murphy, Commissioner Brown take action. Do not wash your hands of this situation. File the restraining order now,\u201d said Solomon, who\u2019s currently in a runoff election<\/a> against former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey<\/a> to become the city\u2019s next mayor.<\/p>\n The hospital, located on Palisades Avenue, has been a fixture in the city through many seasons of change. It was originally founded in 1872 as Christ Hospital. <\/p>\n A Jersey City News article from 1897 describes the hospital as \u201cone of the most admirable institutions in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n But even a century ago, the hospital struggled to provide care with limited resources. <\/p>\n The 1897 news report said: \u201cWe have always understood that the hospital was cramped in its resources. It has no public aid whatever. It relies almost entirely upon the contributions of citizens, and these have hardly kept pace with the needs of a house which never closes its doors to the victims of sickness or disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what\u2019s going to happen to the hospital site. Hudson Regional expressed interest last month in using part of the site for a residential housing development and using the profits to replace Heights Hospital, which has aging infrastructure.<\/p>\n Opponents to that plan, including Solomon, allege that replacing the hospital with development was the company\u2019s plan all along. <\/p>\n Hospital officials denied that was their plan.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us wanted to get to this point. This is not driven by any of the allegations out there that this is related to real estate development,\u201d said Kifaieh. <\/p>\n Either way, that plan now faces an uphill battle.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Jersey City officials voted to introduce an ordinance<\/a> that would prevent senior housing and assisted living residences from being built in the city\u2019s medical zone. If approved, the ordinance could impede Hudson Regional\u2019s plans<\/a> for future use of the property. <\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n