NJ Assemblyman Gordon Johnson shifted the Pascack Valley Hospital (PVH) reopening to a new playing field, introducing the color of patients to the equation. (Click HERE to read.) Just when you thought rationale reasoning was going to offer healthcare a safe return to Westwood the jaws of racism raises it head.
Too many politicians flap their jaws, swatting flies with rhetoric based upon limited information. They try to sell an apple pie without the apples; engaging bobblehead politics, pandering to a constituency through empty words based on created facts.
Nineteen months and counting, the hospital license’s fate is delayed and the issues on public healthcare need are twisted by money, politics and a touch of intrigue. The money opposition, other hospitals, cite manipulated facts without offering individual specific substantiation.
The political opposition, which includes Senator Weinberg and Assemblyman Johnson, cite blacks, minorities and other urban hospital closings, suggesting racism, void of any appreciation to other closing specifics. Only in the cited closing of Muhlenberg Medical Center is there a flicker of valid concern, but its’ closing is different from PVH. Both closed due to mismanagement; PVH went bankrupt and Muhlenberg was a conscious decision, a subsidiary closing by its parent, Solaris Health System. The same owner of JFK Medical Center, a facility within a five-mile radius of Muhlenberg.
HUMC brings in the intrigue by asking for a decision delay. Is it money, politics or both? Are there some financial glitches with Touro University’s 50% stake in the hospital site? Are there bond covenants that need to be legally smoothed over? Are there structural organizational concerns with their potential partner, Legacy? Is the reelection of a governor, and voter appeasement, a concern? Are there any concerns that relate to the needs of future trauma patients? The questions abound but at the moment little is available in real answers.
The Record did an Editorial (Click HERE to read.) reinforcing the concept that the ultimate assessment for the PVH license should be an objective decision. Unfortunately, just as the word ‘if’ was redefined within political perspectives over a decade ago, how might ‘objective’ be defined going forward in this case?
Objective parameters would consider medical access, time and life vs. death choices. Assemblywoman Vandervalk laid out one other possible parameter in a letter to the editor. (Click HERE to read.) She pointed out that the decision has a human face.
Strange Corzine hasn’t weigh in? Topic to hot? He brought it up with his executive order. Has he ever made a statement on the report? Maybe someone can ask the President when he’s in town stomping for him to define the objective part in decision making.
Comment by Pam Prayer — July 14, 2009 @ 12:15 PM
Somebody will probably have to die in an ambulance call to one of these opposing hospitals for a bobble head to understand “need” is color blind.
Comment by ShepherdRN — July 14, 2009 @ 12:23 PM
Minority isn’t a recognized classification to professional EMT personnel. It shouldn’t be a basis of any discussion for this hospital.
Comment by Lucy J — July 14, 2009 @ 3:52 PM
Johnson sounded like a complete idiot at the hearing demanding that for-profit hospitals build in urban areas before they go to north Bergen County to manage a downsized existing hospital for HUMC. Maybe he should read the Record story on the for-profits takeover of Barnert Hospital -seems like it is happening already. It is disgusting to bring race into it, it isn’t an either/or situation – urban areas are not being punished by HUMC’s opening of the downsized Pascack facility. Corzine would have to be really stupid to weigh in against this deal, I sure hope that twit Weinberg doesn’t get his ear.
Comment by John — July 14, 2009 @ 2:31 PM
Barnert’s not a hospital anymore. It’s going to be a medical mall taking paying patient business from its neighbor hospital St. Joe’s. Where are the specifics that one hospital over another should be closed or open? How does Hackensack Hospital and Valley Hospital have the money for all their expansion if Bergen County hospitals are hurting? Maybe Englewood Hospital’s management should be given a second look. I don’t think the politicians in the 37th district know what they are talking about.
Comment by H20 — July 14, 2009 @ 10:56 PM
Check out the Layton article on page 1 of today’s Record.
Comment by Warren — July 15, 2009 @ 9:55 AM
If HUMC North doesn’t open, Pascack Valley field triage will require traffic reports.
Comment by pvEMT — July 14, 2009 @ 9:35 PM
Did the Record mention an ER at the Barnert mall? No hospital probably means no ER.
Comment by Rick — July 15, 2009 @ 1:38 PM
Did you read the Record today?
Comment by Barry — July 15, 2009 @ 9:12 AM
Read the paper today? What’s going on with your case? Did you drop it? I hope not.
Comment by JacobsAB — July 15, 2009 @ 10:56 AM
Does this mean we’re getting a mega medical mall?
Comment by Carolann — July 15, 2009 @ 12:08 PM
Looks like HUMC has financial problems too. Think they’ll oppose HUMC North now?
Comment by Gill — July 15, 2009 @ 11:28 AM
Maybe its all just an act. Afterall didn’t they originally tell the state they weren’t going to open a hospital? Even if you consider what they spent it’s cheaper then what Valley is spending in time and money to get the same development rights from Ridgewood.
Comment by Angelo — July 15, 2009 @ 5:35 PM
Guess the town council didn’t consider this happening?
Comment by Dirk — July 15, 2009 @ 12:14 PM
Johnson, Weinberg, Valley Hospital, Englewood Medical Center and now Hackensack Medical Center, does the future for a reopened hospital seem a little murky just to me? What happen? Everything was looking rosey and then it turned dark? Is anyone doing anything or are we all just bystanders?
Comment by Chris — July 15, 2009 @ 12:15 PM
Where’s the kitchen sink? Usually when you throw everything at a problem you include a kitchen sink.
Comment by Striper — July 15, 2009 @ 4:07 PM
Finished reading the hospital story on HUMC finances. It don’t sound good. Must be why they asked for some more time before getting a decision. They need to replenish their coffers before spending more money.
Comment by Ralph — July 15, 2009 @ 12:28 PM
Notice that pattern of three. Paper tells us political opposition has minority concerns. Then the paper tells us about a medical plaza being developed at the closed barnert hospital. Now the paper tells us about our hospital purveyor having financial problems. Sounds like our own mini endcap collapse. Local politicians giveaway the candy store with no assurances and the people pay for it later. Maybe the town’s mayor would like to have a protest walk.
Comment by Brick999 — July 15, 2009 @ 12:58 PM
The weathers nice for a walk but would it accomplish any more then the last one? I think not!
Comment by robertphillips12 — July 15, 2009 @ 8:05 PM
Hey, let’s face it another hospital was a long shot to begin with.
Comment by mailorder — July 15, 2009 @ 6:34 PM
Barnert closed and came back as a medical mall. The new delay, the discrimination accusations, the big money concerns and the lack of any leadership anywhere, we shouldn’t be surprised by the same thing.
Comment by Diva_C — July 15, 2009 @ 6:36 PM
Lot of directions here. Roller coaster comments. The article today is an economic breaker but not an ender. Time for a regroup. Some politician will send the governor a counter letter to Johnson’s showing its a negative investment in peoples needs. It’ll generate another newspaper article for the pendulum. Hackensack will march forward and secure their finances and come late November the DOH will approve the CN. Yes we can!
Comment by hedgevestor — July 15, 2009 @ 8:41 PM
Can anyone say “what-if”? Maybe more should have done like this blogger and thought more. Today’s story in the Record doesn’t look promising for a new hospital. And where are our elected representatives? Probably off playing politics somewhere giving out sound bites and euphuisms. Westwood officials obviously had no plan and our Mayor Blunder is no better or any of the other town mayors. What did they think a couple of support letters and resolutions were going to do? Does everyone think by doing the motion a job gets done? The Governor couldn’t stand up to the challenges he had so pleading to him is a waste of time. We’re told African Americans might be insulted if we have our hospital reopened so screw everybody else. Valley and Englewood cry out excuses to make more money. Hackensack juggles the balls and drops them. A previous commenter stated no leadership? Whoever it was, was right the whole drama has been a calamity.
Comment by Star920 — July 17, 2009 @ 9:03 AM
Ferguson was carrying all of them. With him gone the whole thing seems to have run out of bio-diesel.
Comment by michelle — July 21, 2009 @ 1:18 PM
Another day another article, could the DOH be that blind to public need?
Comment by gottapulse — July 17, 2009 @ 9:30 AM