The Record
Friday, July 10, 2009
BY MARY JO LAYTON

African-American leaders are urging Governor Corzine not to allow Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood to reopen.

In a private chat with the governor recently, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson said he told Corzine: “Why weaken the other hospitals, especially when another medical center is not needed there?”

The Englewood Democrat fears reopening Pascack will jeopardize Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, which serves a large population of uninsured and charity-care patients in his district and beyond.

“If Englewood suffers and clinics have to close, it’s an impact that’s too great for me to allow to happen,” said Johnson, an officer of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus.

The caucus sent a letter to Corzine warning that reopening Pascack would “not only be an insult to all the urban hospitals that have already closed, it would severely damage a surviving hospital that employs a large number of minority workers.”

Hackensack University Medical Center wants to open a 128-bed hospital at Pascack. Although more than 1,000 residents of the Pascack area packed a public hearing last month to urge the state to approve the plan, the proposal is opposed by other hospitals who fear it will siphon off patients.

The State Health Planning Board was to meet this month to decide whether to recommend approving the plan. However, Hackensack requested a six-month delay this week, saying it needed more time to prepare its case. The decision ultimately rests with state Health Commissioner Heather Howard.

“This is a policy decision that will be made on what’s in the best interest of the residents of Bergen County and the state of New Jersey,” said Donna Leusner, a Health Department spokeswoman.

Read the complete article at northjersey.com