Pascack Valley and MRMC

"OldDoc, for a smart man, you need to read the article closer. The money to build a new hospital is coming from the hospital. Obviously, Hackensack has 60 million dollars to build. The state is more than happy to approve a hospital if it is "others peoples money". Solaris is out of money."

My favorite reader "Anonymous" sent me the above. I certainly missed the $60 million figure and still can't find it on multiple re readings of the Record's article. The only money mentioned was $800,000 for cosmetic purposes in an ER closed for a year plus $1 million for property infrastructure which had been neglected. Perhaps there was another article that I did not read.

If "he/she" missed the gist of my comments I have failed to communicate. I can not contemplate such a gaffe so will try again.

The State is committed to reduce an over abundance of hospital beds, not to authorize new beds in a region which by DHSS criteria even after closing Pascack Valley has a surplus of beds. There has to be criteria reasons to permit reviving the hospital. One of the main complaints of residents in that area was the abnormal long time for emergency vehicles to reach the nearest available facility.

The DHSS staff comments to justify closing MRMC uses unrealistic travel times to the four alternate hospitals which if possible could only be met under improbable idealistic conditions. There was no documentation when and how these most of times were developed suggesting that they are mathematical derivatives of distanced divided by an estimated 30mph. No consideration was given to road conditions, traffic patterns, time of the day, intersections etc.

There are standards, which can be looked up, for acceptable time to transport a patient to the acute care facility. Just as in the Pascack hospital situation, they can not be met for Plainfield area patients. Yet using fallacious documentation the DHSS staff justified their conclusion.

A review of hospital closing would probably show that Pascack Valley was an exception to the economic and ethnic composition of the population which the other closed hospitals served.

I reiterate the closing of MRMC contradicts the principles to be met in the state commission's report which DHSS should comply with. Solaris has never opened its books to justify the losses claimed.For Solaris to blame a reported 20% of its total MRMC admissions as a major factor in its financial problems is a cynical justification for its request.

If it was only a matter of downsizing that would be acceptable for both hospitals. If a greater reduction in hospital beds then could be met by a full serviced MRMC were required, they should come from JFK's.The operational loss due to medicaid, charity, and uncompensated illegals is due to state funding policies and is morally corrupt. I am sure that funds can be found but New Jersey is not called the " Soprano State" unjustifiably.