Heights University Hospital closing as full-service facility; will be emergency department only
That decision means that over 500 employees at the hospital in Jersey City will be out of a job as the Emergency Department will need only 120 employees.
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There is no more money to keep Heights University Hospital open as an acute care facility according to the CEO of Hudson Region Health.
So, starting Saturday, Heights University Hospital will only provide services within its Emergency Department.
“Absent funding this week we have no choice but to go through an orderly transition of services at the hospital. With a goal to maintain at least an emergency department available 24/7,” said CEO Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, who was referring to funding from the state of New Jersey.
That decision means that over 500 employees at the hospital in Jersey City will be out of a job as the Emergency Department will need only 120 employees.
Those employees will have a chance to move into jobs at three other hospitals with the Hudson Regional Health network.
While addressing the media about the decision Kifaieh said, “Our goal is to maintain as many people with jobs as possible within our three-hospital system. None of us wanted to get to this point guys I hope you really know that.”
Hospital management says the facility was having financial difficulties mainly because it’s a nonprofit with 65% of patients relying on charity care or Medicaid.
The state Department of Health had cut its charity care to the hospital by half.
Hudson Regional Health took over the facility from Care Point in November, but management said it would need at least $25 million in state aid to keep it operational. The state refused to approve that funding.
Harry Glenn has been working as a drug counselor at the hospital for the last 11 years.
“It’s hurting us it’s hurting us a lot it’s hurting the community more so than anything. The community needs this hospital because they don’t have anywhere else to go, ” said Glenn.
The union representing employees had harsh words for the decision.
HPAE President Debbie White sent out a statement saying,
“Hudson 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.”
